


Drop Dead, Rise Up

by Birdy_101



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Alpha Aliison, Alpha Dave - Freeform, Alpha Luther, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Apocalypse, Ben is the best sibling, Beta Five, Dave (mentioned) - Freeform, Death, Does not happen, M/M, Mentions of miscarriage, Minor, Mpreg, Omega Klaus Hargreeves, Other, Post-Season/Series 01 AU, Protective Siblings, Sibling Bonding, Vanya is Scary, World Not ending, alpha diego, blood tw, graphic birth, labor, lots of blood, minor rapid pregnancy, miscarriage tw
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-05
Updated: 2019-08-25
Packaged: 2020-01-05 01:01:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 19,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18355385
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Birdy_101/pseuds/Birdy_101
Summary: Klaus couldn't breathe. The pain was mind-numbing. At least last time he'd had someone he wanted by his side.Ben sat below him, face scrunched. "Klaus?"He didn't answer, the color fading from his face."Klaus!" Ben was up on his feet. "Allison, Diego, someone, do something! He's dying!" Ben tried to slap his sister who froze, confused, a hand at her cheek."Shut up Ben," Klaus slid from his chair, again, eyes rolling up into his head.





	1. Chapter One

Vanya crumpled to the floor, the light of rage fading from her eyes. 

"No!" Allison screamed, the sound scrapped across damaged vocal cords. Grabbing her arm Luther had to hold her tight, stop her from running to her sister as she collapsed to the stage, the pale blue writhing tentacle pulled out from the hole in her chest, vanishing into the air. 

"Klaus!" Diego ran at his brother, the alpha's fists bloody, clenched around his collar. He lifted him from the ground, eyes burning. "What did you do?" 

"He just saved the world," Five said numbly. 

Diego dropped Klaus who fell to his knees, breathing hard. Tears slid down his paper white face. 

"B-Ben. Did I really?" Klaus' voice died in his throat, looking up at the apparently thin air. "Was that me or...?" He got his answer, hand pressed over his mouth. 

Breaking from the tight grip Allison ran to the stage. 

"Wait!" Luther went after, stopping as Five stepped in front of him. 

"Let her."

The boys watched in numb sorrow as Allison scooped the limp bloody figure into her arms, sobbing silently. 

"I, I had to," Klaus whispered. "I didn't know how else to, I..." He stood, eyes flicking to each of the dead bodies around the room. "Ben?"

He waited, listening. 

Five went to him, a hand on his arm. "We know why."

Luther and Diego didn't look back at him, going to join Allison. 

"You had to."

"There has to have been another way," Klaus was positively trembling, all blood drained from his face. "I just  _ killed _ Vanya." 

"Shock is the first step in the grieving process," Five spoke flatly.

"How are you so calm?" Klaus tried to summon anger, resentment, anything other than the painful white numbness spreading in his limbs. 

Five was quiet. "Shock is the first step in the grieving process," he repeated, swallowing hard. "I have to go. I have things to fix."

"Wait, Five!" Klaus turned. The boy was already gone. 

Shaking legs carried him to the stage.

Klaus stepped over dead bodies, the limp frames of his attackers. Knees ready to give out he climbed the few steps onto the wood floor. 

Allison's hand struck his face, throwing him off the small ledge. 

Something shifted inside him, leaving him gasping, unable to move. Turning his head back up he saw his sister rounding on him, his brothers not too far behind.

He couldn't read her lips but understood the message. 

'How could you?'

"I wasn't in control," Klaus scrambled back, face throbbing.

"Like hell," Diego crossed his arms, standing firmly at Allison's side. "I saw you!"

"I, okay I was in control but I, it wasn't conscious. I just did it on instinct."

Allison snarled. 

"Instinct?" Luther held the limp body in his arm, white suit stained scarlet, dark hair curled around the pale face. Her bloodshot eyes were still open, glazed. "Your instinct was to kill your sister?"

"I couldn't think of any other way I..." his face fell slack. "Vanya."

"Yeah, Vanya," Diego pointed an accusatory finger at him. "What did you think we were talking about?!"

Klaus' gaze was fixed on the thin air in front of him, growing ever more panicked.

"Vanya, I'm sorry. I didn't, Vanya listen to me."

The three advancing on him stopped dead.

"She's here?" Luther asked. 

Still, on his back, Klaus scuttled to the chairs. "Vanya, please. I d-" he curled his hands around his ears. Bent over his face scrunched, trying to block out a sound no one else could hear. 

"Vanya," Allison said, throat still so damaged the words were less than a whisper. "Stop."

Klaus dropped his hands, lying in the fetal position on the floor. "I'm sorry," his breathing was ragged. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

A soft hand touched his shoulder. Instinctively he flinched away.

Allison brushed his hair back, her fingers still damp.

Klaus looked up, ready for anger, disgust. The last thing he expected was the kind smile. "I forgive you," she mouthed.

"I'm sorry," he repeated. 

Diego watched the pair on the floor, still torn. "We need to clean up, get out of here before the cops show up."

"Where?" Luther asked. "The mansion is gone."

"The boxing ring is across the-"

Allison shook her head. 

"Then where?" 

She held out a hand, imitating writing. 

"Um," Diego fumbled, pulling out a pen.

Writing quickly across her skin Allison held out her arm. 'Vanya's place is closer.'

Luther nodded, Diego quickly gathering any evidence they'd ever been there. 

Klaus stayed on the floor, his numbness breaking to sorrow.

It nearly the crack of dawn when the siblings arrived at the tiny apartment complex. They met no one their way to the top floor, a blessing as each and every one of them were disgustingly dirty, most drenched in blood. 

Taking the keys in her hand Allison quietly unlocked the door. 

Behind her, Klaus paused in the elevator. A hand around his middle. 

"What's wrong?" Ben asked. 

"Nothing," he mumbled. "Everything. I don't know. Shut up."

"You've been clean for weeks, no matter what you tell them," Ben raised an eyebrow. "You can't be having withdrawals." 

Klaus snarled at him, walking forward with a hand on the wall, forcing himself to remain upright. 

"What's it feel like?" Ben stayed at his side. "Stabbing? Cramping?"

Klaus didn't answer, eyes twitching at the last option. 

"Has this been happening all day? Or just since," he shot a quick glance at Vanya's body. 

"Guess," Klaus said under his breath. 

"Do you think using my powers did something?"

Pointedly ignoring him Klaus took a deep breath, kneading his knuckles into his side. 

"Klaus," Diego peered out of the doorway. "Move your ass. If the neighbors see us we're-"

"I know."


	2. Chapter Two

Moving to the couch he sunk onto the arm, rubbing his head with both hands. 

Crouching in front of him Allison offered him a hastily scrawled note. 

'Do you see her?'

Klaus cast his gaze around the room, the only invisible figure the annoyed Ben. 

"Only dead sibling in here is the usual one," Klaus winced.

Allison wrote a new note. 'How's your face?'

"What's wrong with my face?"

"A lot," Ben and Diego said at the same moment. 

Klaus offered one finger to them, making sure Allison didn't see.

'The slap,' she wrote. Allison brushed a finger across the mark she'd left.

"It's fine," Klaus could feel his innards twisting harder. 

Her brows furrowed she bit her top lip.

'You don't look fine,' she squeezed at the bottom of the page. 

Klaus stood, insides lurching suddenly. "Emotional shit is all. I need to pee," he mumbled, pushing past her into the tiny bathroom.

Door shut behind him he leaned against it, catching his face in the tiny mirror. Tear stains ran white through the bloody handprint where he'd been struck. The throbbing skin beneath hardly registered over the entire body ache.

Biting his cheek to stop from groaning Klaus pushed himself forward, head hanging over the sink. There was something  _ wrong _ . He hadn't hurt like this since-

Cutting off all thought he sat himself down on the toilet, not daring to look. 

The blood had stained a thick patch through his clothes.

"Shit," Klaus whispered. 

"That's never good," Ben leaned over. 

"What the hell?" Klaus hissed scrambling up. "Ben, why are you watching me piss?" 

"Since when have you started pissing blood?" Ben demanded. 

He ignored the ghost, washing his hands of grime, the words printed on his palms becoming clearer. The goodbye seemed so completely final, washing clean of the blood of his sister. 

"Klaus. You have to talk to someone. If my powers screwed you up this bad-"

Klaus turned off the water and glared at him. "The powers I just used to  _ murder my sister _ ? I'm sure they won't give a damn that it hurt me. You saw how they looked at me. I think a couple of them might actually prefer if I'm bleeding out."

"That's not true and you know it."

"Just shut up." 

Walking back out into the living room he found his siblings on the couch. 

"I, I put her in her bed," Luther said to the room at large. "I don't know what the police are going to think."

"At the very least we're going to be suspects," Diego stood by the window, keeping his gaze trained on the street. "Klaus, did Five tell you when he'd be back?"

"He didn't even say where he'd gone. Only thing he said was he had 'things to fix' whatever that means."

Allison tapped the coffee table, setting down two clear words in thick sharpie. 

"What now?"

They sat in a loss, none of them able to think properly. 

"I, maybe we should just clean up?" Luther offered weakly. "I mean, we're all bloody and, and if we need to get out of town..."

No one moved. 

"That's a start," Diego nodded. 

Klaus leaned against the wall absently. "We gotta wash our clothes. I don't think there are any spares here." He tugged absently at the tags around his neck. 

The pain was setting him on fire.

Luther stood. "Yeah."

Following numbly after him Allison stood, going to remove her jacket. 

He held out his hand to her. "Let's get th-"

Five toppled over, standing in the coffee table. Panting for breath he was disheveled, suit torn at the shoulder. 

"Five!" 

He jumped up quickly, brushing off dirt. "What time is it?"

"About four in the morning," Luther said, brows furrowed. "What's going on?"

"I'm late," Five cursed. 

"You've only been gone a couple hours."

"More like a couple weeks," Five looked at each them quickly, shooting a second at Klaus. "Beside the point. My previous employer is on our tail. I managed to find a place for you to hide."

"Why us?" Diego looked back, still at the window. 

"Because we altered the timeline," he snarled, adrenaline pumping a vein in his neck. "All of us were _in the room_ when Vanya passed."

Klaus shrank down. 

"So?"

"So they're pissed the world didn't end," Five said impatiently. "I found a place they can't find you for now but we have to move."

"We were going to get cleaned up," Luther looked down at his bloody hands. 

"No time." Five closed Vanya's bedroom door. "They'll be here in ten minutes. They're going to burn the building to the ground."

Allison's eyes were the size of dinner plates. 

"But there are people in here," Diego said, alarmed.

"Who should be dead," Five glared at each sibling. "And unless you want to join them you'll move!" 

None of them shifted. 

"Damn alpha instincts. You all need to get out of here. Now!"

Luther straightened. "We can't."

"And what do you mean 'alpha's' you're an alpha," Diego asked. 

"Technically as I am prepubescent I am currently none but I do present as beta later in life. Which is entirely irrelevant!" He looked ready to stamp his foot, red in the face with frustration. "I have a car downstairs and a safe house waiting."

Allison was shaking her head, trying to find the pad of paper he'd kicked on arrival. 

"Please," Five begged, his pride wavering for a single moment. "I can't take losing you all again. Trigger the fire alarm if you need to buy we have to go now."

"Not a ch-"

Five growled and advanced on Luther, taking his arm and teleporting.

"What in the-" Diego stepped forward only to vanish after a single second. 

Allison looked around wildly.

Klaus hardly moved, watching her disappear. 

A hand was on his arm. "Klaus," Five stared up at him. "You have to tell them what's going on."

"I, I, I don't know what you're talking about," Klaus tried to defend. 

"You're still bleeding," Five gestured to his damp pant leg. 

"Side effect of using Ben's power."

Five snorted. "You know that's bullshit." He teleported once more.

Klaus found himself on the floor of a rickety old van.

"Five!" Diego was up on his knees. "What the hell? We can't leave-" 

Revving the engine the child shot down the street. "We can and we will. I pulled the fire alarm. They'll be fine."

"But-" Luther began.

"Stop!" Five turned around, still going far too fast down the street. "I am not watching you die for your nobility in saving people who, by history's standard are dead. You are not going to die again!" His voice shrill for one second. 

It finally stopped the complaints.

"Luther," Five placed a piece of paper in his hands. "Drive to this address. Then burn the paper."

"What? Where are you-" Luther scowled, watching his brother vanish, "...going."

"Where are we headed?" Diego asked. 

"Someplace out in the boonies." Luther moved to the driver's seat. "We're going to be driving for hours." Glancing through the back window the apartment complex it vanished from sight. 

"Settle in," Diego scowled. "We're in for a long drive." He closed his eyes. "Wake me in a few hours. I'll take over."

Luther grunted ascent and drive onward. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so so so much for all of the feedback! This is by far the best anything I've ever written has been received.   
> Seriously, I had 500 reads in a day, you guys are gonna make me cry.  
> Anyway, I'll try to keep chapters coming once or twice a week. Let me know what you guys think, please!


	3. Chapter Three

"Klaus?" Allison whispered a hand on his arm. 

Still on the floor where he'd been left Klaus tried to get himself onto the seat. He froze, arms on the bench, unable to move. All the color had drained from him, leaving him green and clammy. 

"Klaus?" Allison sunk next to him. 

"I don't like teleporting," he lied quickly. Though the abrupt change in scenery hadn't been pleasant the pain had returned with a vengeance, an iron grip around his organs.

"Are you okay?" She wheezed. 

"You probably shouldn't be talking," Klaus forced himself up onto the bench, trembling. 

His sister's hand stayed on his arm, a comforting smile plastered to her face. 

He did his best to return it, gaze firmly out the window.

"You know... I've been haunting you for a decade and you still confuse the shit out of me sometimes," Ben sat on the floor in the back of the van, a bundle in his arms. 

"What?" Klaus tilted his head, face falling slack. 

"What?" Allison echoed softly. 

Klaus ignored her, swallowing the rising lump in his throat. "Ben, what are you...?"

Ben steadied his grip around the tiny blanket, his finger brushing the infant's tiny cheek. "You just stopped the damn apocalypse, you're bleeding out and dying for all you know and yet the only thing on your mind is them."

"Ben stop it," Klaus breathed. 

He moved closer, sitting against the wall, head by Klaus' knee. "I'm not doing anything. You're the one summoning the baby." He cooed at the sleepy child. "And there's no way I'm letting my little nibbling lie on the floor."

Klaus turned away, face flat, hand over his mouth. 

"Did you ever find out the gender? Or were they too young?"

"Ben stop it!" He tried to yell, voice catching. He curled his arms around his middle.

"Wha's going on?" Diego mumbled sleepily. 

“Ben won’t, he’s-”   
Diego glanced around the room, still getting used to the idea of their brother haunting them.

Worry flashing across her face Allison put a hand on his leg. She froze in place, mouth hung open. Turning wildly she held out her hand, the fingers coated in dark blood. 

Diego blinked himself back awake. 

"Allison!" Luther slammed on the breaks. "You're bleeding."

She shook her head wildly, pointing back to Klaus. 

Pale and shaking Klaus slid from his chair, head in his hand. His groan rolled low through his chest. 

"Diego," Luther glanced to either side of the road. "Help Klaus."

He flipped over the back of the chair to kneel by his brother. "What's going... oh." His face fell, watching the ever-growing puddle of blood. "Klaus. What happened?"

"Nothing," his gaze was still frozen on Ben, or more accurately the bundle in his arms.

"You're bleeding out," Diego pushed him straighter, hand on his shoulder. "Klaus. Did you get shot?"

"No," Klaus couldn't breathe. Cramping pains were clenching his spine. "It," he closed his eyes. "Using Ben's powers. It-"

"You know that's bullshit!" Ben sat, the blanket vanishing from his arms. "Five said it was something else. Klaus talk to them! They want to help you."

"Judging from your face I take it Ben disagrees?" Diego exchanged glanced with Allison. 

"He agrees with Five," Klaus said, sliding down the wall.

"Five?" Allison sat beside him, keeping him upright. 

Voice fading in and out of coherence Klaus tried to concentrate. "Said something about how I knew what it was? But I, it can't be... the same thing happened a few months ago."

'A few months ago?' Allison mouthed.

"I mean I think it was the same thing. Hurts the same."

She put her clean hand on his cheek. "Klaus you're burning up."

"Better not be a damn heat," Klaus grumbled. "That's the last thing we need right now."

"Alphas don't have heats," Diego searched under the chairs for a first aid kit. 

"I know that," Klaus' breathing eased, the cramping finally passing. 

Coming back empty handed Diego raised an eyebrow. "Then why would you think you're going into heat?"

"I've been off the suppressants for months," Klaus laid his head back. "Didn't have them in '68."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

'Delirious?' Allison offered silently.

Diego shrugged. "Klaus. Listen to me. I'm going to get you bandaged up. But you have to tell me what's wrong. If it's not a bullet what is it? Did you get cut?"

"No," Klaus pushed himself slowly back onto the bench. "I'm pretty sure it's all internal."

"So how did it get... external?"

Klaus glared at him through sweat dampened curls. "How do you think?"

"Klaus," Luther looked through the rearview mirror. "What are you saying?"

"Did dear old dad really never tell you?" Klaus glanced at each sibling, gaze landing on Ben who shook his head. "Of course not, why would he? He lied to the media so why not his own children?" Klaus turned, facing the back on the seat, arms over his head.

"You're..." Allison rasped.

"An Omega, though apparently, he was so ashamed of the fact he kept it from everyone," Klaus spoke through grit teeth,  pain hitting its peak. The drip of blood falling on the metal for was the only sound. 

"So what?" Diego asked. "Are you having your period or something?"

Allison shot him an evil glare.

"No," Klaus sat up,  the realization washing over him.  The fall from the stage, that odd shifting from inside, the familiar pain… the blood. It all made sense. "I'm having a miscarriage."

Slamming on the breaks Luther turned around, unable to think. 

Allison covered her mouth, shaking her head. 

"You're sure?" Ben asked. He stood by his brother. "Not again."

Klaus wouldn't even glance at the stunned crowd before him.

"I'm sure," he said. He hunched over, elbows on his knees. "So shut up and go to bed Diego. Just let me deal. S' not the first time anyway," he curled himself into a ball on the chair, pressing his eyes shut. 

Diego knelt down in front of him, jaw hanging open. "You're, you're pregnant. Why didn't you say anything before?"

"Because until about five minutes ago I didn't know," Klaus panted, another pain building up his spine. "Shit, I forgot how bad this blows."

"Forgot?" Luther gaped. "What do you mean forgot?" 

"Just keep driving and leave me alone to deal!" His words faded to a sob.

Luther glanced at his brother but did as he was told.

"Thank you."

Klaus couldn't breathe. The pain was mind-numbing. At least last time he'd had someone he wanted by his side. 

Ben sat below him, face scrunched. "Klaus?"

He didn't answer, the color fading from his face.

"Klaus!" Ben was up on his feet. "Allison, Diego, someone. Do something!" 

No one noticed, Diego putting away the first aid kit.  "He's dying!" Ben tried to slap his sister who froze, confused, a hand at her cheek. 

"Allison!" Ben begged. "Listen to me!"

"Shut up Ben," Klaus slid from his chair, again, eyes rolling up into his head.

"Luther!" Diego stood. "Stop the car. He's blacked out!"

Allison sunk to her knees, holding Klaus' upper body. She slapped his cheek lightly, trying to wake him up. "Klaus?"

Slamming back on the breaks Luther pulled over. "What happened?"

"He just fell off his seat," Diego flipped open the lid to the first aid kit, tossing out the contents in search of anything helpful. 

"Lost too much blood," Allison rasped.

"What do we do?" Luther threw open the back doors. 

"I don't know, what do you think fearless leader?" Diego snapped. 

"Stop," Allison smacked both their arms. "Not the time."

"So..." Diego looked between them. "Seriously. What do we do?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are so amazing! Thank you all for the support!


	4. Chapter Four

"Klaus?" A voice, a familiar voice, spoke from a great distance, echoing through his skull. "Can you hear me?" 

"Dave?" Klaus tried to push himself forward. The world around him was thick as molasses, too black to even see his reaching hands.

"You can't come home yet, love," Dave's words bit at him, physically pushing him back.

"What do you mean? What are you talking about?"

Klaus looked frantically around the dark nothing in which he found himself in. 

There was a hand on his cheek, a caress that pulled him in, erased any doubt, any pain. "You've got to hold on for now okay?"

"What?" Klaus turned, trying to find the hand, trying to find the voice that called to him so fiercely. "No. I don't want to. I want to see you. Let me see you, please."

"Not yet Klaus," Dave's words faded to a whisper. "You've got a baby to take care of."

"What?" Klaus tried to shake off the fuzziness. "No. They're with you."

The world around him faded.

* * *

 

Blinking in the white light now growing Klaus peered into what must be the source. 

"What the hell are you doing?" 

"Vanya," Klaus scrambled backward. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I didn't want to hurt you," his voice cracked. 

"But you did," her chin rested on his shoulder, a thin white arm curled around him, fingers twisting in his shirt. "You killed your baby sister, your child, your only love. And now just for good measure, you're killing again."

His insides twisted. 

"No," Klaus groaned, bending over. "No. Stop. I didn't mean to."

"People just seem to die around you. Are you sure that isn’t your true power?”

"Vanya," he begged. "This isn't you. Listen to yourself."

"You all ignored me! Father forgot about me! And then you killed me!" He was thrown back into the darkness. 

Clawing for some control, some semblance of reality he grabbed onto something. 

His fingers wrapped around the wooden edge of something, maybe a railing. Blinking his eyes back into focus he found himself staring down at a cradle.

"No," Klaus couldn't move, eyes frozen on the tiny figure inside. 

"Quaint," another figure stood next to him. 

Vanya walked around the crib, her black-rimmed eyes falling on the baby. "You've saved the world and you're bleeding to death. And yet the only thing you're mind can summon is this tiny creature."

"Vanya..." Klaus tore his gaze away. "What do you want from me? I can't take back what I did."

"Oh I know," she reached into the crib, picking up the tiny infant. "But you'll find I can haunt you until the day  _ you _ finally die."

"Put them down," Klaus couldn't move. "Don't touch them."

"Too young to even know the gender," she brushed their cheek. "How long did the medic let you grieve and heal before you were back on duty? Two days? Three?"

"Stop."

Her fingers turned to claws around the blanketed bundle. "No. I'll never stop." She walked forward. "And soon I'll have a new little one to hold and love. I'll make sure you can see your children every day Klaus. Only to see them, never to touch them, love them, or see them grow up."

Klaus could feel the tears making tracks down his cheeks.

"Vanya please."

The crib vanished and her hand curled around his neck. "You're my murderer Klaus. You don't get to ask anything of me ever again."

Gasping for air Klaus clawed at her hand, unable to make contact. 

"Time to wake up Klaus. Time to wake up and send me another little one."

* * *

 

Klaus woke with a gasp, his body oddly numb. Suppressing a weak groan he tried to sit up. 

"Hold still," Diego's voice was gentle. 

"Wha' happened?"

"You passed out," Diego pushed him back down. "You were bleeding out."

Klaus brushed a hand over his middle, fingers icy cold. "Yeah. I noticed." He paused, throat raw. He must have called out in his sleep. "We have any water?" 

"Yeah. Stay there. I'll grab a bottle."

Klaus closed his eyes, face scrunched. 

"How are you feeling?" Luther learned over the seat.

"Not great," Klaus mumbled. "How long was I out for anyway?"

"Maybe an hour?"

"Feels like months," Klaus could feel the new cramp building. He lifted one leg up, humming low in his chest. "Fuuuu-" he cut himself off. 

"Klaus?" 

Turning over Klaus put a hand over his head, taking deep breaths. 

"What's wrong?" Diego had a hand on his brother's arm. 

Klaus panted, unable to find the words. Grunting he wrapped his arms around himself.

"Diego?' Luther moved up onto one knee. "What's happening? The bleeding stopped an hour ago."

Below him Klaus could faintly feel Allison slowing the car, pulling to the side of the road. 

Looking around frantically she grabbed her notepad. 

Diego glanced up. "Ask how far... Allison, how does that matter?"

She slapped the top of his head with the tiny pad. 

"Ow, fine, fine. Klaus. Klaus, can you hear me?"

He nodded weakly, the aftershocks of pain still making him tremble. 

"How far along are you?"

"I don't know," he mumbled. "Last heat was... three months ago?" More like a few decades ago but they didn't need to know that.

Allison moved to Klaus, a soft hand on his arm. "He probably... depending on how big..." her voice failed her but not because of any physical injury. "You might need to push them out."

Turning over Klaus forced himself into a sitting position. "How the hell would you know?"

"Klaus-" 

"I don't," Allison met his gaze, unabashed. "I'm guessing. Because I can't stand seeing you like this!"

Struggling to find the words he needed Klaus opened his mouth, only to be met by Five's furious gaze. 

"Why have you stopped? And what is-" he pulled his hand away, kneeling in the remnants of blood Diego hadn't cleared away.

"Because Klaus needs a hospital," Luther moved to the driver's seat. "And we're taking him there."

"What?" Five yelped. 

Klaus didn't bother arguing. He would take anything, anything to stop the pain.

Five examined his weakened brother, lips pressed thinly together. "We can't go to a hospital." He said finally. 

Sinking back down Klaus closed his eyes. "Okay."

"Okay?" Diego sputtered. "Five he was bleeding an hour ago! He needs actual medical help!"

"And if you take him into the hospital you'll be caught and then you, along with everyone in that hospital, will be killed," Five crossed his arms firmly. "You cannot be seen."

"Then what do we do about Klaus?" Luther turned, stopped in the middle of the road. 

"While unlicensed I am trained in most medical proceedings," Five straightened. 

"Unless you've got morphine hidden in your shorts I don't think you can do much," Klaus mumbled. 

"I have nothing of the sort," Five hesitated. "Though I might have an idea."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love you all! Thanks so much for all the feedback and kudos. I still grin like crazy every time I see a notification. 
> 
> Please continue to leave reviews, I love replying if you have any questions or even just want to say hi :)


	5. Chapter Five

_"Unless you've got morphine hidden in your shorts I don't think you can do much," Klaus mumbled._

"I have nothing of the sort," Five hesitated. "Though I might have an idea."

A new cramp swelling Klaus nodded, color draining ever faster.

Moving out of the blood Five knelt at his side. "Can you sit up?"

"No," Klaus was panting again, doing his utmost not to moan.

Diego held out a hand. "Come on. Up and at'em."

Opening his mouth to quip Klaus whimpered, taking the hand for support more than anything else. He shifted to a sitting position, legs up and head between his knees.

Still holding tight to his hand Diego waited, gaze trained on Five.

The small boy paused, taking him in. "You're pregnant," he said finally. It wasn't a question but a statement.

Klaus looked down, watching the small pool of blood begin to seep into the cracks in the floor. "Not for much longer."

"How far along?" Five still did not move.

"Three months I think."

"No."

"No?"

"Luther," Five held up a finger. "Keep driving. Allison, I need an extra set of hands."

Diego waved. "Right here."

"You're moral support."

"And what am I?" Ben's voice was soft, staying in the corner where he had been silently waiting. "Chopped liver?"

Klaus laughed lightly, though no one seemed to hear.

Hopping over the seats Allison waited for instruction.

"Take off his shirt."

"Oh, Five how forward of you," Klaus spoke, voice failing him, shifting to a low groan.

Allison squeezed his arm gently.

It took a short minute to get it all off, Allison taking the ripped army jacket and a tropical tank top in hand. She reached for the dog tags as well only to have her hand caught.

"Those stay on," Klaus said firmly.

"That's fine," Five moved forward, pushing him against the wall.

Shoulder pressed against cold metal Klaus crossed his legs, head on his chest.

Five wasted no time, his cold hands moving across the clammy skin. "This isn't right."

"You're telling me," Klaus mumbled.

"No," Five watched his face carefully. "I'm saying you can't be three months pregnant."

"It can't be any less than that," Klaus thought hard.

A short nod. "You're right. It's not."

"Then what?"

"You're saying you're thirteen, maybe fourteen weeks. I'm telling you it's at least twenty to twenty-four."

"But..." Klaus thought hard. "I mean it's possible."

"In which case," Five sat back on his haunches. "I have good news. You're not having a miscarriage."

"What?" The other siblings relaxed slightly.

"Then what's going on?" Diego asked.

Five wiped his hands on his legs. "Klaus you're in labor."

"Oh." Klaus' voice was tiny, hardly more than a squeak. He curled an arm over his stomach, only just really noticing the minuscule swell. It was easy to miss.

Allison was shaking her head. "That's not good."

"No," Five remained sober. "It's not. And, even further along than you thought the child could be in danger."

"No!" Klaus yelped.

His siblings froze, watching the terror rise in him.

"No," Klaus was shaking his head, breathing frantic. "I can't, I can't lose another one. Vanya already has the first one and-"

"Hold on," Diego grabbed his arm. "What are you talking about?"

"When I blacked out," Klaus' shook. "I saw Vanya. She talked to me. She said she'd haunt me, she'd make my baby haunt me and, and," his breathing picked up.

"Calm down," Diego said firmly.

"I can't let her have another one," he whispered. "Not again."

"Are you sure it wasn't a dream?"

"I don't have dreams," Klaus shook his head. "Only the dead."

Diego watched Five steadily. "What do we do then? How do we make sure they live?"

Five shifted. "As far as I can tell we have two options. The first being to stop somewhere near a hospital, secluded enough so we can't be seen. Then, once born, I can teleport them into a hospital, make sure they're given the right care. But that would mean-"

"I'd never see them again," Klaus said hollowly.

"Unfortunately yes."

"And the other?" Allison asked softly.

"I could use my abilities to dilate time, to force the child to term."

"What?"

"No way," Diego joined his sister. “Can you do that?”

Five shrugged. “In theory.”

"Do it," Klaus said firmly.

"Klaus..." Ben moved closer.

"You're sure?"

"I'm sure," Klaus steadied his gaze on Diego and Allison, even shooting a quick glance at Luther through the rearview mirror. "I'm not losing another one. I won't."

Five moved to sit in front of Klaus. "This is going to hurt like hell."

"It already does," Klaus took a slow deep breath, eyes trained on Ben.

Biting his lip he nodded, the afterimage of his brother holding to the small bundle, if only for a second.

Five placed both hands on Klaus' stomach, each aside the intricately lettered tattoo. The pale blue light cast long shadows across the two boys.

At first, Klaus felt nothing, the cramping far milder than the ones he had been experiencing. Watching his middle unblinkingly Klaus saw the growth, watched the tiny bump widen, weight shifting within.

Then the lightning struck.

Hand pressed over his mouth he bit back a scream. Icy fingers twisted inside, organs pushed violently. His energy was sapped, giving life to a wriggling creature within. Spine twisting, hips literally cracking under new weight Klaus sobbed, tears wrung from his eyes.

"Stop!" Allison tried to move forward, Diego's arms around her. "Stop you're killing him!"

"It- it's okay," Klaus groaned.

Eyes blurred he looked back down, the agony fading to a throb.

Five pulled his hands back, fingers smoking.

The thin stomach was gone, stretch marks new and blood red across taut skin. Klaus panted for air, brushing a soft hand over burning skin. With even that light pressure his belly button popped out, innards settling.

The swell was far from the usual enormous rise usually seen, only as large as a small melon. But still, it had shifted Klaus' entire body, leaving him shaking.

"Shit," Klaus sunk back down. "Remind me never to let you do that again," he breathed.

Five winced, flexing his hands. "Trust me. I won't need reminding."

"You're okay?" Diego asked. "Both of you?"

"Fine," Five stood, crouched in the short van.

Allison grabbed his wrist. "Are you leaving?"

"No," his face was flat. "I have to make sure you don't stop again."

Klaus didn't move, Diego sitting closer. "How you feel?"

"Out of breath," Klaus rubbed as his still throbbing spine. "But, I think I'm okay."

"Holy hell," Diego mumbled, taking in his brother.

Klaus managed a weak smile. "Think that just about covers it. Help me onto an actual chair?"

Taking his arm Diego heaved him back onto a chair.

With a grunt, Klaus helped as much as he could, swearing under his breath. "Shit, that's heavy."

"I promised full term didn't I?" Five rubbed his head. "The child will need a moment to settle, the contractions should stop for a short while."

Klaus nodded, watching him carefully. "Are _you_ okay?"

"I will survive," Five said flatly. "That's not the worst I've ever had."

Allison took her seat once again, watching her brothers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will never get tired of telling you all how amazing you all are. Thank you so much for all the love this story has gotten. 
> 
> Tell me what you think of this one. I will be replying as always :)


	6. Chapter Six

 

Ben began to snicker, on the floor by Klaus' feet. "You look like a whale," he leaned back. 

"Shut up Ben." Klaus pulled his jacket back on, knowing trying to get the shirt would be a loss. "Actually..." He concentrated a moment. 

Ben paused, now holding the blanketed baby, the tiny face still lost in peaceful sleep. "Why?" He paused. "Vanya really scared you didn't she?"

"Yeah."

"I won't let her touch them."

"Thanks, Ben," Klus leaned over, rubbing the back of his head. 

"Now for once in your damn life just relax. Take care of yourself. Take a nap. You're in labor, you moron."

Klaus' mouth pulled up at the corners of only for a moment. "You're so kind."

"You don't really pay attention to kind much."

"Wonder why."

"Do you two always talk this much?" Five crossed his arms.

Klaus glanced up. "What?"

Still rubbing his wrists Five examined his brother. "Do you and Ben speak to each other this often."

"It's more like I speak and he doesn't listen," Ben mumbled. 

Stopping himself from grinning Klaus shrugged one shoulder. "I guess. Why does it matter?"

"It makes you look insane."

Klaus slapped a hand over his head. "I'm touched. Though I have to say I'm insulted it took you this long to notice."

Diego smirked, leaning back in his chair, forcing himself to doze. 

Five pursed his lips. 

They sat in silence a while. Klaus set his chin his hand, trying to find a comfortable position. 

Sitting with her back to him Allison glanced around at Klaus often. 

Lids heavy he listened to Ben's mumbling. 

"Does this kid always sleep? The hell happens if they wake up anyway?"

Klaus opened one eye to watch him. 

"What?" Ben asked. "I mean it's not like I know nursery rhymes or lullabies. Dad wasn't the type."

"Make something up," he mumbled to Ben.

"I am not singing."

"Awe, I don't get a lullaby?”

"Shut up," Ben snapped.

Klaus laughed breathily. His pain abated at least for the moment he found himself in an oddly good mood. He settled onto the seat, dozing off.

Luther talked softly with Five, only a few stray words wandering backward. 

Shifting in his seat Klaus pressed his lips together. The new weight was making his legs numb, sitting in the poorly cushioned car seat. 

Listening to her brother's speak Allison swatted their arms lightly. She pressed a finger to her lips. 

"Let him sleep," Diego agreed, glancing over at Klaus.

Five remained less than impressed.

"We're whispering."

"And there's no way in hell I'll actually be able to sleep," Klaus mumbled. "They're fine."

Diego hesitated. "You probably should at least try?"

"And have Vanya yell at me again?" Klaus swallowed hard. "No thanks."

"Klaus," Diego tried to think of something to say. 

All eyes on him Klaus hunched over, shoulders shaking.

"Klaus?"

His groan was so low in his chest it near didn't register to his siblings. 

Allison was at his side in a second, hand curled around his arm, searching his face. 

His brows were drawn, all color draining away. 

"What's wrong?"

"Hurts," he dug his nails into the seat below him.

Allison turned to Five, begging for instruction. 

"There's nothing to do," Five kept his own concern under wraps. "If the contractions have started again the most that can be done is to time them."

Luther nodded once and turned back around, eyes on the road ahead of him. 

Her hand still on his leg Allison turned to Five, indicating a stopwatch. 

"Do I look like I'm carrying a timer?" Five asked condescendingly. 

Klaus snorted, hunching over. "Just forget about it Ali dear. I promise you no one here actually gives a shit."

Diego opened his mouth to protest, though no sound came out. 

Entirely unconcerned with the other members in the van Klaus let his breathing even out, sinking in his seat. 

"Diego?" Allison whispered. 

"No kind of timer either."

Her sigh of resignation spoke its own volumes. 

Shifting again in his seat Klaus felt a shift beneath his ribs. 

"You know they do care," Ben said quietly, glaring at his living siblings. 

Klaus shook his head imperceptibly. 

The van turned, heading nearly straight up the side of a large hill.

Klaus held to the side of his chair to keep himself from sliding. Diego pushed himself onto his chair, clicking the lock in place.

Turning in his chair Five looked through the windshield. "Careful with this road. When you reach the wound trees you need to make a hard right onto the dear path."

Klaus averted his gaze from the thick-growing trees. 

"Woods," he mumbled only loud enough for Ben to hear. "Always woods."

Ben glanced up at him. "Not a big fan?"

"Not a big fan of anything that reminds me of..." he stopped, biting his lip.

Curling the tiny infant tighter Ben watched him. "You never tell me about that time."

"You hadn't been born yet, let alone died. You couldn't be there."

"Still," Ben said. "You're allowed to talk about it? I mean, who am I going to tell?"

Klaus snorted. He froze, he could feel the iron fist curling around his spine. 

"Breathe," Ben was up on one knee. 

Shoulders shaking with the mounting pain Klaus kept himself quiet.

Klaus tried to tune his own body out, hands shaking. Listening to the words of his siblings he didn't notice himself sliding in his seat. 

"Those trees?"

"Yes."

"Where's the trail?"

"There."

"That's a dear path," Diego chimed in on his brothers' conversation. 

"So?"

"How am I supposed to drive on a dear path?"

"Carefully."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank all of you for the support!!!


	7. Chapter Seven

Sweat pouring down his forehead, Klaus slid further in his seat.

"Klaus," Ben said sharply. 

One shake of his head and he was turning on his side, forehead pressed against the back of the chair. 

"Klaus."

"Shut up," Klaus whispered, unable to summon enough energy to push his brother back. 

Ben stayed quiet, his face stony. Settling his sleeping nibbling more firmly in his arms he took the empty seat next to Klaus. 

Breathing shallowly Klaus let his thoughts wander back toward the front of the van. 

"Where is this place anyway?"

"The side of a mountain."

"How did you find this place?"

"Don't ask."

"And how are we supposed to get up there?" 

"We'll have to walk up into the canyon."

Klaus couldn't suppress his whimper. 

Five rounded on him, taking Klaus in carefully. "Would you rather walk like this or after you've given birth?"

He didn't answer. 

The van pulled to a stop only minutes later. 

"Once we're all out I'll get it back down the mountain." Five pushed open the door.  "I'll dispose of it."

"How long are we supposed to hide up here anyway?" Diego asked, packing up items. 

"I don't know yet," Five was quiet. "A month at least?"

"Any chance you've got baby supplies in there?" Klaus called out to him, still not getting out of his seat. 

"I'll come back with diapers." Five pulled open the back door of the van. 

Klaus smiled weakly. 

Allison put a hand on his arm, taking his hand and gently urging him up.

"It's going to take me a year to get up the side of a mountain," Klaus slid slowly off his seat, sitting on the floor of the van. 

Allison squeezed his hand tighter. 

Pushing himself to his feet Klaus suppressed a groan. Had he thought the new weight had hurt while shifting in the back of the van, standing on his own two feet was torture. Muscles pulled and bones shifted, his already fractured hips grating. 

"Shit!" Klaus held tight to the door of the van, arm curled around his side. 

Diego next to him instantly, Allison already curling around him. 

"What happened?"

Five swept out the last of the supplies from under the benches. "He has multiple hairline fractures along his hips and probably spine and thigh bones from the new growth," he said matter of factly. 

"And he's supposed to walk up the side of a mountain like this?" Diego demanded. 

"I know he can."

Steadying himself Klaus winced, an arm over his middle. 

"See?"

Allison still held tight to his arm. "Are you sure you're okay?" She whispered.

He nodded once, lips pressed tight.

"We need to get up this damn mountain," Klaus pushed his siblings off, striving to keep himself steady.

Luther took the lead, taking the first few steps onto the rock face. 

Eyes frozen on the trek before them each sibling listened to the retreating van. 

The deer path they had been driving on turned a snaking trail of grass. Rocks the size of the mansion towered above them hiding the horizon and the sky.

"You know how to get there?" Diego asked, his whisper still echoing. 

"Five told me the basics," Luther hesitated.

Klaus pushed past them. "Then let's go. We're going against a clock, not just time traveling lunatics."

Allison was up after him instantly. Diego stopped her, giving her a flashlight.

She gave him a thin smile, making their way up the thin pathway. 

Klaus somehow kept a firm lead in front of his able-bodied siblings. 

Having driven through the night morning was finally creeping in on them. Still, cradled in the towering rocks the slowly rising sun couldn't reach them.

Diego stayed at the tail end, grabbing Allison's wrist. 

She shot him a look, ready to listen. 

Struggling to find the words he chewed on nothing. "What are we going to do?" He whispered finally. 

The hiss echoed between the rocks.

Allison bit her cheek lightly, shrugging. 

"Any chance you know how to deliver a baby?" He lowered his voice further.

"No clue," her voice had vanished. 

"Me neither."

"You think he does?"

Allison opened her mouth, closing it as all the color drained from her cheeks. "I hope so."

Luther paused, holding out his arm. "Klaus stop," he called forward. "There's fresh blood on the ground. Something around here is hurt. There could be a predator around."

"There's not," Klaus swayed badly, still walking forward. 

"How do you-" Luther dropped his arm, letting his siblings see past.

Allison slapped a hand over her mouth. 

Unbeknownst to the siblings behind him, Ben began shouting relieved profanities, stirring the tiny yellow blanket in his arms. 

"Shut up Ben," Klaus swayed more violently. 

Luther shot forward, grabbing his brother before he could fall. 

"Shit," Klaus clung to the thick arm, sinking slowly to the earthen floor. 

Allison knelt next to him, a hand on his shoulder. "Lie down."

"No, no, no," Klaus tried to push at the arms around him. "We can't stop now. We have to get to Five's oh so secret bunker and-" he stopped, hissing through his teeth, eyes pressed tightly shut. Nails digging into Allison's hand he had to stop himself from screaming. 

"You're bleeding," Luther said flatly. "Until we find the source of the bleeding."

"I'm in labor you monkey brained moron," Klaus curled up on his side, face pressed to the dirt. "Where the hell do you think the blood is coming from?"

Allison brushed his hair from his pale face. "Luther..." she glanced to her visible brothers. "What do we do?"

"Do you think you could carry him up the mountain? Get him in a bed and Allison and I can follow." Diego stood like a statue behind them. 

"I can walk myself," Klaus tensed, pain only ever building. "And he is not carrying me anywh- sh-shit," his words dissolved to a whimper. He dug his free hand into the dirt, knuckles white. 

"Klaus?"

"I think, I think my water broke," he whispered, too defeated to hide the crack in his voice. Curled up in the dirt he curled his arms over his head, wishing he could vanish, hating the eyes frozen on him.

Allison steeled herself. "Luther."

"Klaus I'm getting you to the hideout. Just hold on."

"Don't really have a choice in the matter do I?" He choked on a strangled laugh. 

"No," Luther scooped his brother up carefully. "You really don't."

Klaus managed a weak smile, leaning into the large chest, dirty hand curling around the edge of his coat. "No dropping me now Prince Charming," he tried to laugh off his nerves. "You've got precious cargo."

"Cross my heart." He turned back to Allison and Diego. "If these people are as good and Five says they'll find the blood. We can't leave behind any DNA."

"I went to the police academy," Diego nodded. "I know how to keep us hidden. Get him somewhere safe."

Allison nodded. "Go."

Luther took the way up the mountain at a clip no living thing could have matched.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! We're getting close now. 
> 
> Please let know what you thought!


	8. Chapter Eight

Klaus dug both hands into his brother's coat, heart pounding too fast in his ears. Biting his lip hard enough to pull blood he could feel the burning starting in the back of his skull. As much as he struggled to hide it, tears began to pool in his arms. 

Luther jumped easily from the top of a boulder to the next, pausing on the edge of what might as well have been a cliff. "I think I can see the house from here," he glanced down. "Ready? Klaus?"

He couldn't speak, lost down a rabbit hole of agony,  convulsing in the tight grip. 

"Klaus?" Luther dropped to his knees, setting him down. "Klaus. Can you hear me?"

One nod. 

"What's going on?"

"Hurts," Klaus reached blindly for a hand to hold, knowing he wouldn't find the one he wanted. 

Luther gripped it tight. "Breathe. It'll pass."

"When'd you get so smart?" Klaus struggled to do as he was told. 

"I got bored on the moon. I had a pretty good selection of books."

"Oh?" Klaus arched his spine, breathing heavy. 

Luther tightened his grip. "Mostly dramas, fictional stuff. 

His laugh was breathless. "Any chance you have so knowledge of a homemade epidural?" Klaus shook, muscles turning to stone. 

Luther shifted, moving Klaus' head to his knee, letting him sit up if only slightly. "I'd have to say that's a hard no. Besides, would it even work with you? Don't you have some kind of immunity?"

"I see a guide on drug use was definitely not part of the lunar library," he groaned, dropping back against the stone with a rattling sigh. "Shit," he muttered again, hand pressed under his belly button. "Calm down kid."

Luther couldn’t help a smirk. “You probably shouldn’t swear at them.”

“‘S my kid,” his breathing came harder. 

"What can I do?"

"Get us inside," Klaus turned over, trying to get onto his hands and knees. 

"Hold still," Luther couldn't help glancing to the growing puddle of blood and fluid dripping down Klaus' thigh. "I've got you."

Klaus couldn't even summon the innuendo on his lips, letting himself be scooped back up. 

"You good?" 

"Not even close," Klaus smiled. "Let's go."

Luther lept to the next rock, weaving his way up the loose dirt and scrubs, picking around unsettled land, feet finally landing on something to steady to be rock, the echo to even to be natural. 

Lids heavy Klaus pulled himself from the straggling ends of the latest contraction. They stood in a hollowed out rectangle in the side of the mountain. The face of a house was plastered into the face, a single window and metal door drilled into the stone. 

"Homey," Klaus, pushed lightly, ready to be back on his own two feet. 

"Well hidden," Luther countered. "Which is what we need right now."

Klaus winced. "Sorry about that."

"Being locked away isn't something I'm unused to," Luther carefully lowered him. 

"Tactful," Klaus swayed on his own two feet. 

Luther took his arm. "I'd rather have the world intact," he said firmly. "If the price is staying hidden a while and, and-"

"Vanya," Klaus swallowed hard. 

Luther pressed his lips tighter together. "Yeah."

Knees shaking harder Klaus leaned heavily against his brother, clinging tightly to his sleeve, color draining from his face. 

"Inside," Luther said firmly. "Depressing things later."

"Yes, sir."

Limping alongside the one far more steady they made their way to the door.

Klaus kept his gaze down, flinching away.

"Is it Ben?" Luther asked, catching his expression.

"What?"

"You have this look on your face when people yell. Is it Ben?"

A shake of his head. 

"Then... Vanya?"

A nod. 

Luther held tighter to his arm. "She can't hurt you, Klaus."

"Any chance Five made his hideaway ghost proof?" Klaus' voice wavered.

"I doubt that was high on his list of priorities."

Luther fiddled with the doorknob. "Shit."

"Language young man," Klaus began to slide to the ground. 

"The door is locked."

"...shit." 

Luther lowered Klaus to the ground. "I'll get it open."

"Any fingerprint scanners or something?" 

"I don't see anything." 

Klaus sunk, arms over his head, breathing hard. 

"Just, just hold on, I'll get it open."

Taking several steps back he readied himself to kick it. Launching forward he stumbled, crashing into the now open door, falling into the dark front room. 

Pushing himself onto one knee Klaus peered into the door. "Elegant."

"Shut up," Luther clambered back to his feet. 

"Never," Klaus sank back to the floor, breathing hard. 

"Klaus?"

No answer. 

Running back out to his little brother he dropped to his knees, pushing his head back against the wall. "Klaus."

He was tensed as stone, breathing so hard he couldn't manage words. The pain was robbing him of any strength, leaving him mute and trembling. 

"Klaus. We have to get you inside."

"Shut up for one damn minute," he hissed through his teeth, pushing his knees up, fists clenched at his sides. After what felt like an hour he finally dropped back, letting himself take in air. "Finally," he gasped. "It's getting worse."

"So I can see," Luther took his arm. "Ready to move?"

Klaus shook his head. "Couldn't get up if I tried. You okay to carry me a few more feet?"

"I'll see what I can do," Luther picked him up carefully, taking him the final steps. 

The bunker, or hideaway, or whatever it would come to be named was low ceilinged, plain cement room, several doors laid out around them.

"What a lovely place," Klaus could feel himself tensing up. "We should really consider making it a summer destination, if we aren't discovered and killed."

"Klaus. Shut up." Luther pressed forward, picking a door at random. "Bathroom. Let's find you a real bed."

"Nah," Klaus struggled to keep from panting. "Bathroom is fine."

"You need to lie down," Luther moved to the next room, a tiny bedroom with a cot-like rectangle shoved into the corner.

Klaus' panting became worse, head dropping back. "Put me down, put me down," he hit Luther's arm.

Alarmed he did as he was told. 

Knees pulled up as high as he could manage Klaus gripped the edge of the cot. His mouth formed shapes his voice couldn't put sound too. Tears forced themselves from his eyes, cramping pain squeezing his insides. 

Luther hesitated, a hand on his arm. 

Finally, he dropped back, drawing breaths that looked near as painful as the contraction. 

"You're doing great."

Klaus shook his head. "Stop."

"What can I do?"

"Go help the others," Klaus fell limp against his cot. "You need to clean up my ever-growing pools of blood."

"But," Luther was shaking his head. "I can't leave you alone, not with Vanya."

"I have Ben," Klaus mumbled, an arm over his face. "Besides what exactly can you do against the undead spirit of our insane sister?" His smile was thin. 

"Can't you force her away? Block her or something?"

"Only with an unbelievable amount of cocaine."

"That's why you," Luther furrowed his brows. "I always thought you did it for the thrill."

"There's that," Klaus' breathing steadied. "You know I think I'm just going to take a nap."

"And you're sure you're okay to be alone?" 

"Go."

Luther stood, patting his shoulder before he left. 

"You really shouldn't have had him go." A soft voice crooned. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, everyone, for reading and leaving kudos and everything. Really, it makes me smile, it makes my day. You're all amazing ;) Thank you again!
> 
> I love to reply to any and all comments


	9. Chapter Nine

Klaus didn't answer, knuckles turning white. 

The steps were soft across the small room. "What are you doing Klaus? Isolating yourself as usual."

"Go away," Klaus tried to turn over, tried to move his child away from her. 

"So mean," Vanya sat at the foot of his bed. "You shouldn't be mean to your sister."

"And you shouldn't try to destroy the world," he tried to summon a snarl. "And yet here we are." His anger dissipated with a new cramping pain. "Ow," he sunk back, hissing through his teeth. 

"Save your strength." Vanya shifted, crouching next to him. "You have to send me a new nibling."

"You won't have either of them." Klaus pressed himself into the wall. 

"And how do you know that?"

"I won't let you."

Her laugh was genteel. "You won't let me.  _ You _ can't do anything."

"Good thing I can," Ben stood in the doorway, glaring. 

Vanya stood carefully, wiping away imagined dirt.

"Ben," she smiled. "How nice to see you. How long has it been?"

"Let's skip the pleasantries shall we?" Ben stepped forward, a fire flashing in his eyes. 

Vanya took a step back. 

"Stay away from him," Ben raised a fist. 

Her smile only grew. "Nice to know your only goal in death is to be his guard dog."

"Better than be the babysitter from hell."

She shrugged, arms behind her back. "I'll be back for my new nibbling soon Klaus. Whether you like it or not."

Klaus sat frozen, watching his sister vanished even as he blinked. "Ben, Ben where are they? Where is my baby? Are they safe? She doesn't have them-"

"Relax," Ben knelt next to him, picking up a yellow blanket seemingly from nowhere. "They're safe."

Leaning over Klaus' hand hovered over the tiny face, fingers trembling inches away from the perfect infant. He let his hand drop.

"What the hell took you so long?" He looked up at Ben. "You can't just leave me like that!"

"Luther runs fast. I thought I'd catch up once you were safe."

"Did that look safe to you?" Klaus tried to push himself back up. "I don't know what she can do-"

"Klaus," Ben snapped. "Calm down. I am not going to let her touch you."

Tears began to pour thick and fast down his cheeks. "Who cares about me?" His voice broke. "Don't let her touch them," he pressed a hand to his face, eyes frozen on the tiny bundle. "Please. Please. Don't let Vanya..."

"She'll never lay a finger on them," Ben soothed. "She was right about one thing, though. You need rest."

"I can't  _ rest _ ," Klaus continued to struggle to push himself up. 

"Kl-"

"Like hell you can't." A new voice entered.

The strangled scream caught in his throat as Klaus pressed himself against the wall. 

"It's just me," Five pulled off his jacket. "Where are the others?" 

Heart still racing Klaus found his voice. "Cleaning up.  Boy scout motto leave no trace behind and all that."

"None of us were ever boy scouts."

Klaus sank into his cot, lips thin, swollen stomach turning to stone. "They had to clean away DNA. I kinda started bleeding everywhere."

"So I can see," Five picked his way across the puddles of amniotic fluids, face pinched, doing his best to hide his disgust. 

"Some world famous assassin you are if you can't do blood."

"Shut it," Five stood over his brother, arms crossed firmly over his chest, concern flashing across his countenance for a moment. "You're getting it all over your bed. Get up."

"Five," Klaus choked. "I can hardly stand."

"Which is why I'm the one running you a bath," Five kept his expression flat. "You're filthy. Come on," he turned on his heel.

"Wait."

"What?" He looked over his shoulder, pausing as Klaus panted through the newest pain, the streaming tears never stopping.

Five waited, watching in silence as his brother struggled to keep himself silent.

"Ow," Klaus whispered finally, chin on his chest. 

A small hand was held out to him. "You know you're allowed to scream? Only one here is me."

Klaus took the far steadier palm in his shaking one. "Knowing you, you'll take the piss out of me for doing anything."

Five helped heave him to his feet, putting Klaus' arm over his shoulders. "I’m not dad. You're allowed to show weakness. Besides, it's labor. Not exactly a walk in the park."

"You're telling me."

Still, Klaus did his best to carry his own weight, walking slowly to the next room. 

"Sit," Five ordered, lowering him to the closed toilet seat. 

One hand behind him to take the brunt of his new weight Klaus sat, legs splayed and head lying on the tank. "God, this hurts," he whined. 

Five rolled up his sleeves. "I can only imagine."

Klaus was quiet,  listening to the water begin to run into the tub. 

"Thank you."

"What?" Five glanced up. 

"Thank you," Klaus repeated, eyes shut, both hands cradling his swollen middle. "For what you did. For saving my kid. It, um, it means a lot."

Five caught sight of his welling tears. "You're hormonal."

"I mean it," Klaus caught his arm. "I don't know what I would've done if-"

"They're okay," Five brushed off the hand gently. "Your child is going to be fine. Try and relax." 

"He has a sensitive side," Ben sat cross-legged next to the sink. "I never thought I'd live to see the day."

"In a manner of speaking," Klaus mumbled with a weak smile. 

"Rude."

"You know I only tease you with love," Klaus bat his eyelashes at his brother.

"Yeah, yeah," Ben waved him off. 

Klaus took several deep breaths, relaxing where he sat. 

"Feeling better?"

"Not really."

"Anything I can do?"

"You're doing it." Klaus watched the still happily slumbering bundle in his arms.

"You really do look crazy when you do that," Five stood in the doorway, a bundle of towels under his arm. 

Klaus tried to sit up with a low pained hiss. "What's the alternative? Ignore my dearly departed brother? How rude."

"I hate you," Ben stifled a grin. 

Five set the towels down. "I'm not saying you have to stop. I am simply stating a fact."

"A fact I am perfectly aware of."

Laying out several towels on the ground Five finally turned off the water. "It might be on the warm side."

"Not high on my list of priorities." Klaus tensed, hands shaking on his legs. 

"Breathe," Ben insisted. 

Five waited in grim silence, eyes frozen on his watch. 

Klaus dropped back with a low moan. "Shit," he huffed. 

"Forty-two seconds long," Five hummed. "Seven minutes between, give or take."

"Which means?" Klaus opened an eye. 

"You should have your child before lunch."

"Joy." Klaus bit his tongue, sifting through the new swell of emotions in his chest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all again! You are amazing and so so kind to me. Please enjoy this chapter and I always love to read and reply to reviews!


	10. Chapter Ten

Five began to pull at Klaus' jacket.

"What are you doing?" Klaus tried to wave him off.

"You need to get in the bath. Give me your coat."

Klaus did as he was told.

"Tags."

"Those stay on," Klaus clung to the battered dog tags.

"Fine." Five knelt, undoing the laces of his shoes.

"Whatever," Five put a hand on his thigh. 

Klaus slapped his hand away. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you doing?"

"I hope this is a rhetorical question."

"I don't care if you  _ are _ a hundred years old or whatever. You look twelve," Klaus forced himself to sit straight. "You are not undressing me."

"I am not a hundred. I'm only-"

"Get out!"

Five crossed his arms, his scowl making him look only ever younger. "Fine. I'm coming back in once you're in the tub."

Klaus waved him away. 

Door closed behind him Klaus stood carefully, fumbling with the button of his laced pants. 

"You sure you don't need help?"

"Get out of here Ben. As much as I appreciate it I am perfectly capable of getting naked," he winked.  
  
"You're gross," Ben sighed, following after Five.

"More ways than one," Klaus muttered to himself. Klaus managed to get off the rest of his filthy blood-soaked clothes. Feeling a new cramp crawling up his spine he tossed them into a corner, sinking into the tub. 

"Are you decent?" Five asked impatiently. 

His voice caught in his throat, strangled by the low groan he couldn't stop. 

Five didn't wait for permission, walking in to sit on the edge of the tub. "Klaus. You have to breathe. You're going to pass out."

"Finally we agree on something," Ben mumbled.

"Quit nagging!" Klaus gripped a shaking hand on the edge of the tub. "If you'd like you can sit in this tub and fall apart and I can sit there and scowl!" He cut himself off with a strangled scream. 

Five sighed mutely, taking his brother's hand tightly, an odd comfort in itself. "Klaus," he spoke gentler than he had in years. "I don't mean to nag. I'm trying to help. But I can't if you pass out."

Klaus leaned against the edge of the tub, holding to his brother's small fingers, taking shaky, uneven breaths. "I'm trying," he was too weak to growl. "This. Sucks."

"While I don't understand, I do know." Five squeezed his hand. "Try and relax. I'll be back before the next one starts. I've got some things I need to prepare."

"You come back with supplies?" 

"I raided a shop a few towns over, made a path heading a couple of different ways."

Klaus gave him a weak thumbs up. "You're a prodigy, James Bond."

Five pursed his lips. "The point being that I got enough baby supplies to last until the next apocalypse."

"Any chance you swiped an epidural along with?"

"Wasn't high on my to-do list."

"Lucky me." 

Klaus closed his eyes, cheek on the cool porcelain tub, the icy cold good against his swelling eye. The hearty slap from Allison had turned to a purple bruise. 

"I'll be back."

"Mhmm."

For several long moments there was silence, nothing in the room but the sounds of lapping water.

"You look like you're enjoying yourself," Ben said quietly. 

"You might need to get your eyes checked."

"I mean you look better."

Klaus shrugged lightly. "Water is warm. I can't even remember the last time..."

Ben moved to sit on the floor, cross-legged, back against the rim. "Klaus?"

"The last time I had a warm bath," Klaus mumbled. He ran a damp hand through his curls. "Was the night Hazel and Cha Cha took me. The day before I traveled. I guess I forgot."

"Sounds like you had a pretty wild ten months," Ben summoned a weak smile, leaning against the wall, shifting the child in arms. Tiny cheek on his shoulder it breathed softly. "I wish I could've been there for you."

"No, you don't," Klaus' shaking increased, losing color. "It was so-" he pressed a hand to his mouth. 

"Klaus," Ben tensed. "Klaus calm down."

He couldn't stop the wild tremors running through his body. 

"Klaus." 

The ghost watched his brother in abject horror. 

"Call Five."

"Why?"

"Call Five now."

Not understanding, heart thudding against his ribcage like a bird, Klaus called for Five.

Klaus wasn't conscious enough to know whether he had run or simply teleported. 

"Shit," Five knelt down. 

In the tub, infecting the water, was a ploom of scarlet blood, pouring from between his thighs. 

"What's going on?" Klaus hissed through his teeth, feeling the next contraction begin.

"You're bleeding."

"No shit sherlock." Klaus pushed himself up, the only thing above the pink water his head and the crest of his stomach, tattoo fading in and out of clarity from the misty surface. 

Five thought quickly. "This level of bleeding, the fact that you are still bleeding." He gripped his fist in his hair. "I never studied this. It didn't matter. I know first aid kit, stitches, how to repair injuries. I don't know what to do!"

Klaus snorted, teeth still grit.  "Of course not. Why would fate let me have that?"

"So let's concentrate on what we do know," Five composed himself. "I know if the bleeding continues after the birth you will need a hospital. "

Klaus hummed some kind of ascent.  "Too much blood?"

"More than I'd like to see." Five pursed his lips.  "But we have to wait and see."

The contraction rolled to an uneasy stop,  leaving Klaus shaking. 

"Are you feeling any pressure?"

"In what context?"

"Physical, " Five said thinly. "Do you feel like you need to push?"

One shake of his head. 

Opening his mouth to ask further Five paused, listening as the door swung open.

"Wait here," Five vanished from the room. 

Tense, Klaus strained his ears.

"Five!" Diego yelped.  "It's us!"

The door slammed shut and Klaus dropped his head back. "Safe," he curled an arm over his stomach.  "It's okay. You're safe."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are all so freakin amazing :) Seriously. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. 
> 
> We're almost there ;)


	11. Chapter Eleven

Allison had closed the door, sweaty and dirty, the dried blood cracking across her clothes.

"Were you followed?" Five moved back to examine each of his siblings.

"No," Diego crossed his arms firmly. "And yes-" he cut Five off. "I'm sure."

"Can you blame me for asking?"

"Where's Klaus?" Luther moved to go past him, standing in the doorway of the tiny room.

"Bathroom," Five stood in the way, brows drawn. "Resting."

Luther soured. "How's he doing?"

"Guess.”

Allison slid to the floor with a soft sigh. 

Alarmed, Diego dropped to his knees next to his sister. "Allison are you okay?"

"How?" She said finally, voice hardly above a whisper, words ripping into her damaged throat. "I mean, we haven't seen him in a while, sure. We're not close but... pregnant? How did we not notice?"

"Before a few days ago he wasn't," Five said. "I think the real question is how did you not notice he was an omega?"

"I thought you said he was a few  _ months _ pregnant. Not days."

"Time travel," Five said simply.

"He did say something about that," Diego was shaking his head. "But you know how he is. I could never get a straight answer."

"So far as I am aware," Five cut in gently. "Klaus has spent the last ten months in 1968, on the front lines of the Vietnam war."

There was a long moment of stunned silence. 

"He had a miscarriage on the battlefield," Allison whispered, the sound deafening in the silence. 

Five was thin-lipped. "The time machine he had with him was fully functional. I have no idea what took him so long to return."

"He lost someone," Diego came to his own realization. "He told me. He went into that old vet bar on third. He got into a fight. God, that must have even been him in the picture on the wall."

"But then-" Luther stopped dead, watching the door of the bathroom swing open. 

Klaus stood in the doorway, eye swollen shut, all color drained, a towel loose around him, clenched in a white fist. "Five," his voice cracked. "I've got to push."

"Now?" Five reappeared at his side. 

"Now," Klaus' words faded to a low moan, sliding to the floor, dark curls in his face. 

Five cast around wildly. "Luther, help him back to the bed. Allison, clean towels and warm water. Diego-" 

"Who put you in charge?" Diego demanded. 

Five's eyes narrowed. "If you'd like to take over please be my guest," he gestured to Klaus, crumpled on the floor.

Diego paled.

"That's what I thought. Get the black bag from the cart in the corner."

The siblings went to do their jobs, Five following after Diego to get the right things.

Crouching down Luther offered a hand. "Am I good to pick you up again?"

"This better be the last time," Klaus panted, once again gripping tight to his brother's coat. "I am so sick of being drug around like a rag doll."

Luther managed a weak laugh, unable to really summon a smile, picking him up carefully. "Last time." He promised. 

Klaus didn't answer, too lost in the wave of pain. His face screwed tighter, lanky body curled tight. Breathing ever harder his knuckles turned white. 

Carefully Luther knelt beside the little cot, easing his brother back to the blood dampened fabric. Klaus fell limp in all but his hands, knuckles still veined, twisting tighter in the sheets. The only sound he could manage was a long low groan, a sound pulled from the depths of his soul. 

" _Ughnnnn_."

Lost without instruction Luther knelt next to him, offering his hand once more.

Klaus swatted him away, eyes closed. "Eff off," he mumbled. "I want to take a nap."

"I don't think that's nurse Five approved."

Klaus snorted. "Like I give a shit."

Allison returned holding what looked to be a mixing bowl of water and towels. 'He okay?' She mouthed. 

Luther shrugged helplessly. 

Diego dropped the large black bag on the floor. "What the hell is in there?"

"Forceps," Five crouched down, digging through. "Suture kit, contraction timer, scale and..." he pulled out a box of plastic gloves. "Ah."

"What are those for?" Luther stood in the far corner. 

"Someone has to catch the baby."

Diego made a face. 

Five tried to push around his siblings. "This room is too small for all of us."

"What?" Allison was shaking her head. 

"You can leave the door open," Klaus said, tensing. 

"But-"

Five squeezed through them.

"One of you can stay," Five rolled up his sleeves.

"And why do you get to stay?" Luther raised protest. 

"What part of 'medically trained' keeps getting lost on you?"

Allison pressed herself between them. "Then who stays?"

"That would be up to Klaus."

They turned their heads to their brother, already losing him to another contraction. 

"Who do you want to stay?" Diego asked smugly.

"Ben."

"But, he's not-"

"Ben," Klaus growled teeth grit.

Five pulled the bag to the foot of the bed. "You heard him. Out."

The three left the room.

"You know I can't do anything to help?" Ben sat cross-legged on the floor next to the head of the bed. 

"I don't need anyone else," Klaus breathed. 

They fell into an uneasy silence Klaus lost to the pain

"You're not pushing," Five observed. "I thought you said-"

"I didn't want to push it out onto Luther's coat," Klaus offered weakly. 

Five raised an eyebrow.

"With the next contraction, you'll need to."

Klaus nodded, not looking, gnawing on his bottom lip. 

"That's not the real reason is it?" Ben asked, knowing he wouldn’t get an answer.

Carefully he set the baby down, taking off the blanket. Underneath the soft yellow was a onesie with a hand stitched sunflower. 

"Where'd you get this image of them anyway?" Ben cooed at the baby. "On the battlefield..."

"The last one looked," Klaus swallowed hard, an arm over his face. "The last one, my first baby, I saw them. It was awful. There was so much blood."

Five sat frozen, listening carefully. The trio outside the room were silent. 

"Where'd you get this image of them?"

"Dave," Klaus could feel the new cramp growing. "He showed me a picture of him when he was a baby. His mom dressed him up in this sunflower yellow monster she had made," his voice caught. "Whenever I imagined our baby that's all I could see. Even now," he dropped his arms, watching Ben lift the little one. "Even now that's all I can see. Because I can't, I can't take remembering them like they were."

"Klaus," Ben began. 

He cut his brother off with a strangled scream. Knees lifting up he bore down even without meaning to. 

"Good," Five leaned forward. "Lean into it-"

"No!" Klaus was losing coherence, sanity fading into agony. "No. I won't, I can't see another one like that." 

"Klaus."

"I can't."

Ben's hand slid through his arm. "You can't do nothing."

Five echoed the sentiment. "You have to push. You're doing more damage to them like this."

Tears were spilling down his cheeks. "So what're my options? Let them die inside me like the last one or watch them die outside me, watch Vanya torment their spirit?"

"Klaus-"

"No." Five stood, towering over his brother on the low cot. His arms were folded firmly. "That's not going to happen."

"What then?" Klaus asked hopelessly.

"The third option. You step up and push them out and they  _ live _ because I will be damned if I don't do everything humanly possible to keep them that way!" Five-pointed a finger at him. "I did not come back in time, keep you and this earth alive to watch you or anyone else die. Do you hear me?"

Klaus offered a weak salute, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. "Yes, sir."

"Good," Five snapped, kneeling back down. "So push dammit!"

For as hard as he'd been fighting the urge the act of pushing nearly split Klaus in half. 

"And remember," Five nudged his legs further apart, laying the towel over his knees for some semblance of modesty. "You are allowed to scream."

"You're going to regret saying that," Klaus gathered what little strength he could find.

"Probably." 

Five pushed the bag further open, digging through the contents.

"Ready?" Ben had a hand on the bed. 

"Hell no," Klaus took in several gulping breaths. He closed his eyes, blind to the blue light wafting from his fingers. 

The infant in Ben's arms gurgled. A soft noise only heard in the silence. 

Klaus managed a smile even as the next contraction began.

His agonized scream caught in his throat, coming through as a keen. Klaus hardly knew what he was doing, bearing down with all his might. Despite the bones broken, the faded energy he could actually feel the shift down. 

"Good," Five nodded. "Keep that up and we should have a baby in no time."

Klaus didn't answer. 

Hand moving desperately he reached for anything to cling to. Why hadn't he just let Diego or Allison stay or even-

"You know Luther looks like he's standing guard outside your door."

"No," Klaus turned his head away. "Please."

"You're really pathetic when you do that." Vanya kept talking. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, guys, guys, you are freaking awesome. Seriously. I'm going to try and give you the rest of this story in about two or three chapters. And there may be an epilogue if I feel so inclined. 
> 
> Thank you all for reading and I love to reply to all reviews!


	12. Chapter Twelve

Ben whirled around, face set. "Back off."

"I'm hurt, Ben. Don't I have as much right to be here as anyone?" Vanya sauntered in, pulling the lapels of her white jacket more firmly around herself. Those luminescent eyes never shifted from Klaus' hitching middle.

Klaus could only see blurs through his tear-filled gaze. Ben's black form stood over him. The pale light of Vanya only just beyond.

"There's no reason for you to be here," Ben's growl was dangerous. 

"I've got the little ones to take care of. "

"You'll never touch either of them."

"Oh?"

Klaus lost their voices to a new wave of pain, convulsing, bearing down. 

Ben dropped to one knee. "She's not going to get any closer," he whispered. 

There was a weight on Klaus' chest. 

A tiny face was inches from him, the yellow blanket soft where it brushed his bare arm. 

Klaus could feel them, could see his firstborn. This wasn't the shadow of his memory of the photo.  The hair was too thick, too dark. Their nose was a button, not the point Dave had. This- they were real. Real. 

"Hey," Klaus breathed emotions swinging wildly. "It's you. You're not just my figment. It's actually, really," his shaking hand actually met the warm infant's back, drinking in every inch of their face.

He couldn't tear his eyes away but knowing his other ghostly companions had gone. The noise had gone.   


Not just the noises of ghostly siblings, but from everything.

"Klaus!" Five's voice was further away now, tinny and higher pitched.

He pushed harder, muscles running only on instinct. His mind was too occupied with the child he already held. Fingers winding into the blanket he pulled the tiny face closer. They were getting further away.

His spine twisted, the pain fading, the relief of having this one here was pushing out the rest of the world. 

"Diego!" Five was shouting. "Allison. Get in here. We're losing him!"

_ Was that true? _ Klaus wondered weakly. Dying twice in one day. He had to be setting a record. He'd be okay with that really. He'd have Dave, both his kids... might even be able to give Ben a return punch for his dislocated jaw. 

"Klaus!" A hand was hitting his face. 

From a great distance, he could hear Ben’s screaming, a scream that only came from the summoning of those terrible tentacles. 

Vanya returned a shriek.

“Stop,” his voice was gone, begging his siblings to stop, trying to pull Ben from the void to which he’d fallen. 

“Listen to me,” Diego was shouting. 

"Get back here!"

He didn't want to. It hurt out there. Klaus wanted to stay where he was, sitting on the edge of the void. Even Ben’s yells were growing dim. 

"Put your hands here," Five was saying. 

Gloved hands touched his stomach. There was something icy cold pressed against his thigh. 

"Klaus! Listen to me. You have to push. Klaus? Can you hear me?"

He couldn't even nod. 

The next pain built, though he could only feel it from a distance. Still, he tried, pushing as hard as he could manage. 

His voice caught, trying to scream. There was a pressure, a pain he couldn't name, burning. Everything was on fire and then it was just over. 

The blackness had fallen over him. He couldn't see, the only thing he felt was a weight on his chest, even that fading away. 

Then, from a distance of a million miles, he heard it, the soft cries of a newborn. 

"Thank god," Klaus whispered. "They're okay."

The world closed in on him, blackness taking over. He couldn't even summon the energy to lift his head to see either child. A numbness washed away the last of the pain.

 

* * *

Then once again, black and white, the small barbershop. Blinking himself back to reality Klaus moved to sit up. The only thing he wore was a towel curled around his waist, though at the very least he was clean here. He pressed a hand on his stomach first. Thin, flat, empty. 

"They made it then?" Klaus whispered. 

"Tch."

Klaus knew that sneer, he knew it.  "Dad?" He mumbled, rubbing his head. "Great. Again. I am not in the mood-" he stopped, looking up. His bespectacled father was not looking at him, in fact, his back was turned, his shoulders squared with a fury only he could portray. 

"No," a female voice was small. "I didn't mean, I didn't want-"

"Quiet!" Reginald Hargreeves lifted a hand. 

Klaus had never seen his father strike any of them. Emotional torture, missions without sleep or caffeine, training for days, missed meals, yes, but he had never raised his hand.

But standing, cowering before him, Vanya fell to the wooden floor. Her hair fell over her ringed eyes. The suit she wore, the brilliant white was gone. Back in the dark jacket, it hung off her trembling shoulders. 

"God dad," Klaus walked around him, placing himself firmly between the pair. "Were you always such a dick? Or did you just grow into it?"

"You're back," Reginald straightened, the corner of his mouth twitching. "I would praise you for the triumph had it not come so uselessly. Poison your body and mind so far you let your brother die, only to use him as a tool?"

Klaus set his jaw. "Shut up." he hissed soundlessly. 

"Speak up boy!" Reginald pointed an accusatory finger in his face. "You children mumble and groan. Speak-"

"Oh my god, shut up!" Klaus threw his arms over his head. "I stopped the end of the world! We did it. We won. We did the thing you ruined our lives for! So clap or something, wave a flag. Yay, the world still turns!" 

Reginald chewed on his words, eyes narrowed. "How dare you," he stopped pushing Klaus aside. "I have time for you and your insolence later." The man shifted his attention back to the girl on the floor. 

Scrambling back she pressed herself against the wall, forcing herself to her feet. "Dad."

"Quiet Number Seven," he snapped. 

"Dad. I-"

"Quiet!" He lifted his hand once more. 

The blow landed against Klaus' arm. Leaving behind a dark mark, even in the black and white world. 

"Number Four. What are you doing?"

"My name is Klaus," He snarled, jaw clenched. "And that is Vanya."

Behind him the cowering figure lifted, peering out from under the curtain of hair. 

"You do not get to hit her."

"I will do whatever I please. I am your father."

Klaus' anger was so close to the surface, every vein in his body demanding he protect. "And she is your daughter. You shouldn't hit,  _ abuse _ your children."

Reginald sneered a familiar face. "And what do you know of children?"

Klaus swallowed hard. Like the memory of a dream, he could feel the pressure of the child on his chest. 

"Stop it," Vanya stood, carefully. She curled an arm around her brothers'. "He knows more about children than you ever will."

Their father's lips were thin. Sparks ignited in his eyes. "I raised the seven of you."

"You didn't raise us, you trained us, you twisted us."

"You children blame everything on me. You're adults. Take responsibility for your actions!"

Vanya stepped away, still clinging to Klaus. "We did. I tried to kill everyone, everything. I reacted like a child. So Klaus grew up," she swallowed hard. "He stopped me. And he did what he had to save everyone. He took responsibility. And now, now you pick away at his family, his flesh and blood." Vanya reached the door, glancing up at Klaus. "He did what he had to do."

Klaus squeezed her hand tightly. 

"We're taking responsibility," Klaus turned back to his father. "Time for you to come to terms with the  _ responsibility _ you had. You didn't raise children. You destroyed them."

"And yet here you stand."

"We're dead, dad," Klaus pushed the door open, the world outside darkened, black. "Remind us how that isn't your fault?"

 

* * *

 

 

He followed Vanya out into the darkness. Blinded to the world all gravity lost meaning. 

Still, he clung to his sister’s hand, quiet as she led him through nothingness. “Vanya? Where are we going?”

“Somewhere to talk,” her voice wafted back to him.

His feet landed finally on hard ground. They stood in the grand hallway, the doorway to the concert hall where Vanya had...

"Why are we here?" Klaus backed away from the door, his hand moving from hers. "Wouldn't you be happier somewhere else?"

"And where do you suggest?" She stood in the doorway, looking into the abandoned black and white concert hall. "Where do either of us have that we were ever happy?"

Klaus opened his mouth. "Well..."

Her laugh was soft. "This is the best I could think of.” She walked into the concert hall, heading to the stage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, you are seriously just the best people. The feedback I've been getting is beyond flattering. Thank you, a million times over. 
> 
> And now for the not so great news. I will be away for most of the summer and won't be able to update until I come back. We're almost at the end of the story and I will try to get the last few chapters up the second I get back. I will be able to respond to any messages/ comments, however. So please feel free to send them!
> 
> Thank you all again!


	13. Chapter Thirteen

Following behind Klaus found himself instinctively glancing up at the sides of the hall, waiting for the figures above, waiting for the ghosts of the agents he’d killed.    
“I couldn't be in that tiny apartment,” Vanya mounted the stage, the bare expanse of wood. “That miserable little square I could hardly afford. And you, you never even had that much."

"Vanya," he caught up to her. Standing beside her put a hand to her arm, struck by how cold she was. 

She lifted her face to him, eyes glazed by tears, hair lank on either side of her face. "Klaus, what did I do?"

"You didn't do anything," he was shaking his head. "Nothing happened."

"Pogo," her voice caught. "Mom, Leonard, Allison. I tried so hard to end everything that had ever caused me pain and, and I nearly ended the whole world."

"But you didn't."

She wiped at her face with a watery smile. "Because of you. You stopped me. You really did save the world."

Klaus could feel his heart sinking. "I killed you. I forced Ben to use his powers to kill you."

"You had to," her fingers brushed the slap their father had given him. "There was no other way."

"There could've been another way," Klaus was shaking his head. "Vanya, I'm so so sorry."

"No," Tears began to spill down her cheeks. "Klaus, I was going to end everything and then you, Klaus I haunted you while you were in labor. I threatened you and everyone else. You had to. You had every right."

"I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "Why are you apologizing? I have to be sorry. I threw a tantrum that nearly ended all of time!"

Klaus laughed past the bubble in his throat. "Are we okay to, to call it even?"

"How can you forgive me?" 

"You're my sister. It's kind of my job." Klaus shrugged weakly. "And right now, right now, you're the only family I have left." A dam broke deep in his chest, leaving him shaking. Arms curled around himself he dug his nails deep into his bare arms. 

"Klaus," Vanya threw her arms around him. "That's not true. You know that's not true."

"Why do I always lose everyone I care about? First my child, then Dave and now... now I just left them behind."

He could hear the cries, far away. The strangled sobs of a newborn, his newborn. 

"Klaus?" Too many voices called, not the voices of the dead, but the ones of the living. 

Hunched over in that never-ending darkness Klaus gasped in pain, the aches in his muscles, the cracks in his bones. "What's going on? What-" he cut himself off, whimpering. 

Dropping to the ground his knees hit the stage with a dull thud, the curtains beside him still as stone even as the movement should have ruffled them. 

" _ Uhnn _ ," Klaus sat frozen, seeing nothing, the stage slipping into darkness. 

"Klaus?" Vanya's face came back into perspective. Despite his pain, she was smiling, her tear-filled gaze bright. "Klaus. Do you know what this means?"

"What are you talking about?" he blinked away his tears, body fading back to numbness. 

"You're not dead," Ben crouched next to him. He reached an arm out, wrapping it firmly around Klaus. "Only mostly dead."

Klaus glanced between his siblings, grin spreading slowly. "I could go back? I could see them again."

Ben squeezed his shoulder tighter. "You're a fighter."

"Did you see them?"

Ben nodded, his smile hovering on the edge of a grin. "Klaus. God, you have to see her. She's perfect."

"She," Klaus was pulling himself up, struggled "She. I have a daughter?"

"Congrats," Vanya punched his arm lightly. 

"I have to go back, I have to be there for her," Klaus stumbled, back on his knees, forehead pressed to the wood stage. 

"Stop," Ben caught him. "Klaus you have broken hips. You just had a baby. I know you can feel that pain. Just hold still."

He pressed his palms into the ground, forcing his feet under him. "I can't stop. Pain is what's keeping me connected. I have to keep feeling that. I have to go back."

"You will."

Nothing but that voice could've stopped him so thoroughly, could've frozen Klaus in his tracks. 

"Dave?"

"At ease soldier," Dave leaned against the doorway, his hat at an angle and a lopsided grin on his face. 

"Oh my god," Klaus was up and running. He didn't care how much it hurt, he didn't care about the shifting of bone. He couldn't summon the energy to care. All he could do was run, launching himself into the strong arms he knew so well. "Dave!"

"Relax," Dave tried to keep his own voice under control. He wrapped the thin boy tighter like he was terrified to let go. 

"You're here," Klaus pressed his face tighter into his chest, nails digging into his shirt. "You're here. I'm so sorry, I should've seen, should've pulled you away. It shouldn't have happened. You were supposed to go home, we were going to go home together."

Dave pulled him back, lifting up his chin. "It's not your fault," he brushed back those wild curls. "It is not your fault. Look at me." He cradled Klaus's cheek in his hand, drinking in every line of his face. "You did amazing. You got sober. You really did it."

"To try and find you."

"Here I am," Dave pulled him tighter. "Relax."

Klaus could feel his pain setting in, his failing body wouldn't let him stay. "No," he clung to Dave's lapels. "No, I changed my mind. I want to stay. Please," his lip quivered. "Please let me stay." His voice broke. 

Dave lowered him to the ground, pressing his lips to Klaus' forehead. "Relax Klaus. It's okay."

"No," Klaus pulled himself closer, practically in his lap. "I want to stay. You can't leave me again."

"I won't," Dave cradled him. "I'm not going anywhere. As long as you keep yourself sober."

"Not good enough," Klaus could feel himself slipping. 

From down a long tunnel of time and space, he could hear it, the other voices calling still, the hands pressed to his chest, desperately trying to keep his weak heart beating.

"Let go, Klaus," Dave whispered. "It's okay."

"I won't go."

Dave looked up at his flanking siblings. "Ben and Vanya, I take it?"

Ben nodded once. 

"Is there anything I could say, anything I can do to convince him?"

"Probably not," Ben leaned against one of the chairs. "He's kind of a stubborn ass if you hadn't noticed."

Dave laughed a tiny strangled sound. 

"There's only one thing he loves as much as you," Vanya said softly. 

Arms curling tighter Dave sighed softly. "Klaus. Listen to me."

"You can't make me go," Klaus curled his fists tighter. "I won't go. I-" his voice caught, a new pressure on his chest. 

"You've got more to do," Dave said, brushing a hand over the fluffy head of the tiny yellow baby.  "We've got our kids to take care of. I can only help this one. But the other, our daughter, she's still out there Klaus. She's still with the living."

Klaus was shaking his head. "I can't lose you again."   
"Then stay sober," Dave lifted his chin again. "You stay connected to me, to them. We can watch both of our children grow the way they were meant to."

"It's not the same," Klaus whispered. He could feel his heart thudding in his chest, feel it growing stronger even as he fought it. 

"I know," Dave pressed his forehead against his. "I know it's not. But it's better than nothing."

Klaus was shaking his head, hugging himself closer, pressing the child between them. 

"Promise me," Dave whispered.  "Promise me you'll hold on."

Klaus was nodding. Pain was growing. The cracks in his hips burned, muscles seizing. He kept his eyes frozen on the man he loved. "I will. I promise."

"Not just for me but for them, for our children."

"I will."

Dave smiled. "Remember soldier, that's an order."

Klaus summoned a weak smile.

"We'll stay too," Vanya promised. "Ben and I. We can help. Real actual help."

"Of course we will." Ben nodded firmly. 

A hand around Klaus' head he pressed a soft kiss to his lips. 

Klaus tried to pull closer, tried to concentrate on nothing but that feeling, the smell of pine around him, the feel of that light stubble under his palm. 

"Dave. I love you."

"I love you too." The voice echoed, fading. 

Then everything came back, sharp and bright and screaming in agony.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm baaaack! Thank you all for the continued support this story has gotten even while I was away. I swear we've only got a couple more chapters now. 
> 
> And I still love to read and reply to all of your lovely comments. Thank you all!


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Lurching forward Klaus gasped for air, all the energy in his body drained to nothing. 

"Got him!" Diego had a hand on his shoulder. 

Klaus' chest ached. Compressions. Diego had been performing CPR on him. 

Groaning Klaus laid back, wiping his mouth. "What happened?"

"Your heart stopped," Luther glanced at his watch, "about three minutes ago."

"Yeah, yeah, I know I died," Klaus waved him off. "Vanya said as much. I don't care about that. I want to see my kid." He tried to swing a leg off the bed, stopping with a whimper. 

"Stop," Five turned around with a blanketed bundle in his arms. "The afterbirth hasn't passed yet. From what I can tell you've got multiple fractures along your hips, and at least a bruised if not broken rib from the CPR. Stay down."

"Five-"

"Stay down."

"I just want to see them." Klaus put his leg back onto the bed, craning to see around the people in the room.

"Allison," Five placed the silent bundle in his sister's arms. 

Adrenaline keeping the pain at bay Klaus pushed himself up on his hands. He shook so badly he had to keep himself supported on the wall. 

"Let me see them," Klaus tried to blink away the sweat pouring down his brow. 

Five grabbed a garbage bag from the floor. "Diego, restrain him."

Klaus slapped his arm away. "Don't touch me!"

Diego ignored him, a hand on Klaus' shoulder.   
  
"Stop," Klaus struggled to move past him. "Let me see my daughter!"

The trio froze. 

"How did you know?" Five asked.

"Long story," Klaus leaned forward, fingers white on the edge of the cot. "I'll lay down. I'll do whatever you need. Just let me see my daughter. I have to know she's- I have to see her."

Allison glanced to Five who shrugged one shoulder. "If it'll keep him quiet, give him the energy to push the afterbirth out then fine."

Diego set a hand on Klaus' shoulder, helping him back down. 

Ignoring the stabbing pain Klaus dropped his head, watching the blurry figure of Allison knelt next to him, carefully placing the baby on his chest. 

"Finally," Klaus whispered. The world around him vanished, not in the terrifying way he'd seen, not because of his failing body, but because the rest of the world simply didn't matter anymore. 

Klaus lifted his head up, his shaking, filthy hand lying on top of the perfect clean bundle.

Her head was hardly the size of an apple, face screwed tight, a shock of angelic blonde curls. Bruises in deep violet were forming around her eyes. Five had had to pull her out. Klaus hadn't even able to push her out himself.  The guilt he tried to summon was too weak to stand to the utter relief, the world-shattering joy sparking every vein, every synapse in his brain. 

"Hi," Klaus whispered. "Hi, sweetheart," his throat caught, tears threatening at the corners of his eyes. "Sorry for the rough arrival. You inherited my sense of timing." 

The smile faltered and he pressed his lips to the wisps of dark hair. 

Allison's hand brushed his arm. 

He knew no one was speaking, watching the scene unfold. 

Klaus stopped, breath catching as a new pain rolled over his demolished body.

"Just the afterbirth," Five said instantly. "Push lightly."

Klaus tried, every muscle screaming in protest. He shook his head. "I can't."

Allison knelt next to the cot, a hand atop his, her thumb brushing across the bruised skin of her niece. "Klaus," she whispered, her throat ragged. "You just saved the world, gave birth in a bunker without medication and then died before coming back. You've got this."

His smile was thin. "Sounds so much more badass when you say it."

"Klaus," Five snapped. "Now!"

Summoning the minute amount of strength left to him. 

Diego gagged, stepping back from the fleshy mess which Five swept into the garbage bag deftly. 

"If you don't mind I'm going to go burn this," Five tied the top of the bag. "Allison, clean the baby, Diego and Luther, clean the bathroom and make sure our niece has some warm pajamas."

"And me, captain?" Klaus called weakly. 

"I'd tell you to get some sleep but I doubt you're the best at following orders."

"I just spent ten months in the army," Klaus dropped his head back to the pillow. 

"My statement stands," Five said. "Try and rest." He headed out of the room, unable to quell his smile, however. 

Diego lead the way out of the room. "I'll get the clothes," he said quickly.

"For a man who spends half his life tossing knives at people your blood thing is really pathetic," Luther followed. 

"Shut it, space boy."

Their teasing was light-hearted, relief too strong to really let them be angry. 

"You guys were actually worried about me," Klaus watched his brothers go. 

"Of course," Allison moved to her knees. "Seeing you like that, like this, is terrifying." Her face was gentle, her whisper ragged, words clear. "You've always been the happy one, Klaus. Even when the rest of us got wrapped up in our own drama. You were there, bright and happy and joking, anything to get us to smile. To see you… broken. It was the scariest thing I've seen in my whole life."

"The world almost ended like last night," Klaus raised an eyebrow. 

"I mean it," her hands gently wrapped around the baby. 

"No!" Klaus yelped. 

The sleepy face twisted, sensing the fear. 

Allison squeezed his hand lightly. "It's okay. Just cleaning."

"Be careful," he urged. 

She made a quick 'x' over her heart, taking the tiny baby in her arms. 

Klaus couldn't help watching them. Even the few foot distance between parent and child was speeding his heart rate. 

"Breathe," Ben sat on the edge of his bed. "Allison is a mom too."

"The hell you mean  _ too _ ?" Klaus watched Ben. 

Allison glanced over her shoulder, only long enough to see him talking to a figure she couldn't see. 

"I never studied gendered terms," Ben shrugged. "I just assumed, as you pushed them out-"

"Ben, stop," Vanya stood in the doorway. She held her jacket over her arm, the buttons of her shirt done down, tank top peeking out the top. Her hair hung either side of a warm smile. "You're just embarrassing yourself."

Klaus relaxed as he saw her. "Hi, Vanya."

"Hi, Klaus," she waved. 

"Vanya?" Allison whirled around, holding the baby tightly in her arms. 

Her smiled faltered. "You didn't tell them?"

"I was a little preoccupied Van," Klaus pushed himself up on his elbows. "It's okay Allison. It's good Vanya. She's back."

Allison let her shoulders drop. "Can, can you say hi for me?"

"She can hear you," Klaus laid back, hiding his wince. 

Vanya walked forward, standing in front of her sister. "I'm sorry Allison. I'm so sorry. I wish you could actually-" she stopped, Allison stepping through her. 

Allison crouched next to Klaus, watching him, waiting for the next word from her

"Will you tell her?" Vanya begged. "Please?"

"Tell her yourself," Klaus took his daughter back into his arms, laying her curled form across his chest, brushing a thumb across her tiny head. 

"How?"

Klaus closed his eyes, lips pressed together. 

"Klaus?" Allison was hesitant. "What's she saying? Is she say- Vanya," Allison heard her voice crack, her ragged throat finally failing.   
  
Vanya looked down at her pale blue form. Ghost like for sure, the faintest hints of colors shifting in and out of focus. "Klaus, how did you…" she trailed off, watching the tears gathering on Allison's face. 

"Don't cry!" Vanya walked forward, hands up. "It's okay. I'm okay."

'You're here,' Allison mouthed.

"I'm here," Vanya agreed. "And you keep that one away from whiskey and weed and I'll never go anywhere ever again."

Klaus flipped her a blue-lit bird, his eyes closed. 

Allison tried to take her hand. 

"Can't do corporeal quite yet," Klaus whispered, hands starting to shake. "Keep it quick."

"Allison," Vanya's voice was thick. "Allison I'm so sorry. I'm so so-"

"Vanya!" Diego choked, standing in the doorway, holding a bundle of pink in his hand. "And Ben? How- when- how?"

Ben waved, still sitting on the cot. "How very articulate of you."

Luther and Five peered in, both alarmed. 

"Klaus?" Luther whispered. "How?"

"A newly acquired talent," he hissed, pulling from a pool of energy that had been too thoroughly drained. 

Vanya faced each of her siblings and took a deep breath. "Klaus did the right thing," she said finally. "He and Ben, they stopped me from ending everything. I wouldn't have ever stopped. My powers took over, not that it's an excuse. And I know I'll never be able to make it up to any of you. I'm so sorry."

"We're sorry," Diego was shaking his head. "We locked you up, didn't listen to you."

Her smile was tremulous. "We can have this argument later. For now, just, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay Vanya," Luther said. "You don't have to be."

Five stuck his hands in his pockets, watching his emotionally stunted siblings with a level of pride. "It's good to see you again."

"I'm not leaving, neither of us are," she gestured to Ben.   
  
"Yeah," Klaus' forehead beaded with sweat, voice shaking. "I'll summon ghostly siblings for easter and Christmases."

Ben watched him. "We can talk later. You need to sleep."  
  
Five nodded. "Ben is right. You have multiple fractures. Stop."

Klaus' fist wouldn't unclench. He'd finally, finally got a handle on his powers. If he let go would they ever come back, would he ever find the way back to it?   
  
"Relax," a soft hand brushed his knuckles. 

"Dave?" Klaus turned to him, all the blue energy vanishing. 

Ben stood, gesturing his siblings out, Vanya at his side before they vanished from their view.

Diego set the baby's pajamas by Klaus' feet. All but the small blood family remained, Vanya and Ben let themselves out.

Luther's jaw hung slack, watching Allison close the door. "Since when could he do that?"

"That one's kind of obvious," Five pursed his lips.

Diego grinned. "Forget that. You see Klaus' boyfriend? I always knew Klaus was a twink."

Allison slapped the back of his head lightly. 

"Ow!"

"Best we leave them alone," Five said. 

Luther paused. "But his injuries. Is it safe for him to be alone with the baby?"

"He isn't alone," Diego argued. 

"Besides," Five exchanged a glance with Allison, watching her warm smile. "You think there's anything capable of stopping him when it comes to that little girl?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter to go! Thank you all so very much for sticking around through this crazy story. I really want all your input on names for our new little darling and anything you'd like to see for our little epilogue!
> 
> I still love replying to any and all comments! :) Thank you all again, so so so so so so so very much!


	15. Epilogue

Klaus couldn't even find the words, rambling hopelessly. "I did it. You're here. Here in the real world," he babbled, knowing tears would fall if he could find the energy to summon them. 

"Relax," Dave repeated, crouched next to the bed. His fingers made contact with Klaus' cheek, even that touch sending a flame across his clammy skin. "You need to sleep."

Klaus dropped his cheek into the warm palm. "I did it."

"Yeah you did," Dave turned to the little infant on his chest. He scooped up the pink pajamas, carefully placing their daughter in them, with Klaus' help. Their tiny child was chubby, her skin softer than rose petals. Every time her little face shifted Klaus stopped, whispering to her. 

Dave hesitated his hand over her curled spine.   
  
“It’s okay,” Klaus took his hand, pressing it to the warm skin.  
  
Both their smiles turned watery, Dave pausing to catch his breath, his fingers brushing over her cheek.   
  
“You will always be able to touch her, to hold her, to see her, I swear,” Klaus promised. “You will always see her. I won’t even take aspirin if it means you’ll go away.”  
  
Dave laughed the tears at the corners of his eyes. He dropped his head on Klaus’ arm. “Thank you. Thank you for her. She’s, she’s…” he couldn’t find the words. 

Klaus squeezed his hand. “Look,” she whispered. 

They both watched, watched their daughter yawn, watched her curl up, settling into sleep. 

"She looks as tired as you," Dave sat, arm on the cot, chin in his hand. 

Klaus laughed softly. "Can you blame her? Poor thing had quite the bumpy ride."

"To say the least," Dave's fingers were tracing patterns on his arm. "Time travel, forced to grow, then pulled out by her head. She's tougher than the both of us combined."

His laugh was soft. How long had it been since Klaus had been this happy? He couldn't remember a time. 

Dave's free arm curled around a yellow blanket. "We're all here now," he whispered. 

"There have been weirder families," Klaus offered. 

His lid were so heavy.   
  
"Than yours?" Dave's lips were pressed into his forehead. "I'm having trouble thinking of one."

"Well if you're going to include that lot," Klaus gestured weakly to the door. 

"I'm going to have to include them aren't I?" Dave chuckled lightly. He swore he could feel the ghost of a breath brushing over his face. "If you're summoning me for Easters and Christmases and all that."

Klaus reached to take his free hand, letting their fingers tangle together. "I'm summoning you all the time. I have to. I'm not going another day without seeing you."

"Whatever you say."

"Besides, I need your help in raising our little sunflowers," Klaus brushed a hand over his daughter's back. 

The children, their children, gurgled happily, echoing each other, the one hearing the other. They would know each other. Klaus was determined. 

"Whatever you say," Dave repeated. He couldn't stop smiling. 

Klaus shifted, hissing through his teeth. 

"Take it easy," Dave squeezed his hands. "You heard Five. You're broken in quite a few places."

Is this what being broken felt like? Klaus wanted to be broken forever. It felt so good. 

"I'm not the only one here to help you," Dave said softly. "You've got all those siblings, the living ones and the not living ones."

"I know," Klaus said. 

"You've got a bit of a wild family," Dave held the little yellow bundle tighter. 

"It's perfect," he defended weakly. "Well, it's perfect now."

He didn't care how long it would take him to heal, or if he never did heal. He had all the help in the world, he had his family, his children, his siblings, living and dead. It was perfect, a bittersweet kind of perfect, the two worlds of his families, knit together with him in the middle. 

"Get some sleep," Dave kissed him, his lips warm, his fingers brushing back his hair. 

"Yes sir," Klaus faded slowly, arms curled around his daughter. 

Yeah. He'd just saved the whole damn world. And now he had his whole world in this room. Klaus needed a nap.   


* * *

 

Adjusting to life in the small hidden bunker wasn't as difficult as imagined. It was much like Saturdays had been while Reginald had been out. They played board games, managed to nearly burn half the kitchen in an attempt to make cookies, and once properly set up, their rooms could be described as cozy. 

The only challenge was boredom.    
Though that one was always solved by the number of people in the home. 

Allison had taken to talking with Vanya more. Their anger abated, for the time being, they were able to catch up on each other's lives. 

"You don't have to do that," Vanya said, glancing at the cup of tea on the table.  
  
"Of course I do," Allison said absently, fishing around in the cupboards for the honey. 

Shifting in her chair Vanya cleared her throat. "I can't drink it. Remember?"

"Oh," she blushed harder. 

That in itself was the oddest thing to adjust too. While their family walked around, clear as day, they were still only images. 

Ben had the most time struggling to adjust to the new eyes on him. He stood in the main room, leaning against the cabinet in which all their games had been carefully organized. 

"Sorry, Chess, Monopoly," Diego mumbled. "That sounds like a long mind-numbing one. Luther?"

Luther shrugged one shoulder, sat at the small table. His eyes glazed, staring a thousand miles away. 

"Think he'd be used to boredom, being up in space forever," Diego rolled his eyes. "Eh' Ben?"

"What?" Ben jolted, examining his brother.  _ Right. They could see him _ . "Yeah. You're right." His smile was still so bright. 

Diego peered into the box. "You know, if we had anything on us I'd say poker-"

"If you're playing poker I want in," a familiar voice called. 

"Shove off Klaus, you're supposed to be resting," Ben snorted, turning to look into the small room. 

"I am," Klaus defended. He sat up on his bed, hair sticking up wildly. Despite the constant bed rest, he'd been subjected to he still looked like he'd gone three rounds in a boxing ring. And Diego would know. 

Dave's figure flickered into view, sitting at the end of the bed. "Then that's the end of the discussion. Rest first. Games later."

"Besides," Diego pressed, dropping the boxes onto the table. "We've got nothing to bet, besides chores. And you are  _ extremely _ exempt from those right now."

Klaus stuck out his tongue. 

A soft whimper stopped him dead. "Dave, can you-"

"I've got her,"

The three brothers outside watched Klaus take the blanketed bundle into his arms, curling around her. 

"You're okay," he soothed, pressing gentle kisses across her face. "Go back to sleep. I've got you."

His face melted to a smile and the others couldn't help but follow suit. 

It was too sweet a sight. After everything they'd gone through, everything he'd gone through, too see Klaus smile like that was infectious. 

 

* * *

 

"They've been gone too long," Klaus needed to be on his feet, needed to be pacing, to be doing something. "Something happened."

"They've only been gone for an hour," Vanya comforted, sitting across the room with Ben, reading his book over his shoulder. 

Klaus shot her a pointed look. "Five can time travel. They should've been back instantly!"

"Because Five's powers have always been so reliable," Ben snorted, flipping a page. 

Klaus dropped back on his mattress. Healing bones could only be pushed so far. And in the six months since taking up his stint in the cot, his bones were still shaky at best. 

Vanya watched him a moment. "Klaus?"

"Hm?"

"How's Sonny?" 

The perfect distraction.

Klaus turned his head to watch the chubby creature in Dave's lap. Dark curls framed their chubby face, clothes having shifted from the sunflower onesie to a pair of yellow overalls. 

"Still perfect," he whispered. 

They were, really. For a ghost, they had changed, grown with their sister. Though they still hadn't spoken, not even wordless babbling, they were entirely aware of their surroundings. Klaus couldn't guess at the logic of their aging. But he didn't want to question it.    
"And Violet?" Vanya smiled at her tiny namesake.

Bouncing and enthusiastic the infant tugged at Dave's pant leg, begging to be held. 

Despite every rough moment getting her where she was, she was flawless in Klaus' eyes. Chubby and healthy, wearing something Five had dug out of a thrift shop specifically for her, her bouncing angel blonde curls made her look like their own personal drop of sunlight. 

"Perfect," he repeated. 

"Then nothing else matters," Vanya said firmly. "No matter what happens, they are safe and we are here."

"I guess," he relented, gnawing on his lip. 

Ben flipped another page. "You know she's right."

"Shut up Ben."

The door creaked open. 

Everyone froze. Even the children seemed to sense it.

"It's us, Klaus," Diego called. 

"How'd it go?" Ben asked as casually as possible. 

Klaus watched his siblings step into view, each filthy and torn up, but each grinning. 

"It's gone," Five stood straighter, pride radiating off him. "Let's get the hell out of here."

Dave exchanged a glance with Klaus, eyes lit with tears. 

A real-life, a real house a place for their children to run around, to grow up. It was everything  _ everything  _ they'd fought for, decades before and now. 

A proper happy ending.    


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for all your amazing feedback. This has been my most popular story by a mile. Thank you, thank you, thank you. 
> 
> P.S. I know this chapter is a little thin, but I was desperate to get you this chapter on time. I may come back to, and fix, at a later date.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoy! If you think there needs to be another tag, or a tag needs to be replaced for a better one please let me know. I'm still not too stellar at it. 
> 
> Please leave reviews. I love them all and try to reply to any questions within a day or so :)


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